A Rise from Ashes
by ThatOneDwarf
Summary: Four years have passed since anyone has seen Ash Ketchum. Most presume he has died, but when he returns, old sparks reignite, and a dark story unfolds. After what he's gone through, will he be able to survive one final journey?
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey everyone, Welcome to the first chapter of 'A Rise from Ashes'**_

_**This is the beginning of my Second Fanfiction, I began writing this so that i could be more creative then my other story 'A tale of a Champion' i hope you enjoy this story, greatly because i had so much fun writing it. No new chapters for a week and a half tho, my exams are coming up so ive got to Study Study Study!**_

_**Well anyway, I don't own Pokemon and all that nonsense. With that! enjoy the story!  
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><p><em><strong>[Flashback- 4 Years]<strong>_

The dimly lit room felt, more cramped then it ever had before. Eight pairs of wide eyes were glued to the television in front of them.

'_And Ketchums Pikachu is on its last reserves of strength!'_ The TV blared through the speakers.

"Come on Pikachu show em your real PikaPower!" A fiery red head with large blue cerulean eyes cheered.

'Pikachu dodge it and end this with a full power Volt Tackle!' Shouted another voice on the TV, determination filling every inch of his voice.

"Pikachu's tired; if it doesn't land this attack its energy will be completely drained." Said an older man who looked to be in about his early fifties. Who was currently wearing brown pants, a red polo shirt with a lab coat over top.

'_This is the deciding factor folks, it's down to the_-."

"_Stop it with a Hyper Beam, Poliwrath_!" cut in another voice.

The dimly lit room was instantly filled with light as the television screen lit up into a bright white light, the quickly dimmed, leaving the room in darkness.

"Come on Pikachu!"

"Ash we believe in you!"

"Don't give in your all most there!" Where all the words spoken as the picture on the TV screen turned into a brown dust cloud.

"_What a show of tremendous power!_" The first voice said. The screen cut to show a raven black haired boy coughing as the dust filled his lungs.

"My poor little Ash!" Cried a brunette women in her mid-thirties.

"Ash will be fine Mrs. Ketchum, and so will Pikachu!" The red head said to Mrs. Ketchum.

"I know Misty bu-" She stopped as the televisions picture started to show a glimpse of light through the dark brown of the smoke cloud.

The picture finally cleared as the entire room gasped at what they saw.

"_Unbelievable!_" Called a voice from the television. "_The battle is over and the new Sinnoh League Champion is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!_" The voice exclaimed with pure excitement.

Indeed. For on the screen was Pikachu standing in the middle of a battle field with sparks crackling from its apple red cheeks as it stood over a fainted Poliwrath.

The house erupted into cheers. "They did it!"

"My baby boys finally a champion!"

"Yahoo!"

"Like Misty, your boyfriend is like a champion now!" Squealed a tall blonde.

"Shut it Daisy! He's a boy and he's a friend. But he's not my boyfriend!" Misty screamed at the blond, but she couldn't help but smile as she said it.

"Quiet down guys!" A brown haired boy around the age of 13 shouted as he saw the raven haired boy run across the screen and pick up his Pikachu.

Ash scooped up Pikachu into his arms. Tears came streaming down his lightly tanned face as he hugged his best friend tightly.

The TV did a close up of Ash holding Pikachu. "We did it bu-_**static-**_I'm so pr-_**static-**_ of you."

"What's wrong with the TV?" The brown haired boy said as he got up from his seat and went over to smack the TV with his hand hoping that would do the trick to fix the bad reception.

"Calm down Gary the picture and sound is fine now." The older man replied.

Gary let go a 'Hmpff' as he went back to where he had been sitting.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_**[15 minutes later]**_

"Hurry their calling Ash up to the podium!" Mrs. Ketchum exclaimed. They had taken a break to get snacks and to use the restroom after the battle when it began showing a slideshow of pictures and clips of that years Pokémon League.

Misty, her sisters, and Professor Oak, came from the kitchen and to the couch. While Gary and Tracey ran like crazy to get back downstairs from the restroom.

Once they had settled back into their original seats. Some on the couch, some on the floor, and others standing. They began to watch the trophy presentation.

"And now, we would like to call up this years Sinnoh League Champion to the podium, where he will be awarded his Championship trophy by Mr. Goodshow." The announcer on the TV exclaimed excitedly.

The picture on the screen was split into two sections, on the left it showed a pair of two sliding doors with a pokeball painted on each. While the right side showed a silent crowd waiting for the Champion to enter the stadium.

The twin doors slid apart revealing Ash in his regular Sinnoh attire with Pikachu on his shoulder. Both were grinning immensely.

The crowd erupted in cheering, chants of his name, and congratulations.

As Ash walked up toward the podium, he stopped to give a firm handshake to a grinning older teenager with tanned skin and black spikey hair who was wearing a green shirt and an orange and black vest.

He then proceeded to give a smiling blue haired girl a high-five; she had been wearing a black, white and pink dress and a white tuque.

Ash then continued at a slightly quicker pace up to the podium.

As Ash stepped up to the podium beside Mr. Goodshow, the cheering became even louder than before.

Mr. Goodshow waited until the cheering had begun to die down before speaking.

Mr. Goodshow turned to Ash and said, "Congratulations Ash." Then quickly turning toward the crowd to continue his speech.

"I remember the first day I laid my old eyes upon this boy many years ago." He began. "I could tell by his will to do the best he could, the bonds he shared with his Pokémon, and loyalty he showed to his friends. That one day, he would become a figure of respect."

"And after all those years I see that I was correct."

"Ash, you have the strengths to go far beyond a Pokémon league champion. You have the ability to become a Master." The crowd gasped, they had never heard Mr. Goodshow talk so highly of a trainer before, let alone tell one that he could become a Master.

The camera cut to a shot of a Mr. Goodshow handing a bewildered Ash the trophy.

Ash slowly took the trophy, he looked down at the small golden plaque which had _Sinnoh League Champion_ followed by his name inscribed under it in all capitals.

The camera went to a close up of Ash and Pikachu as Ash was about to deliver his speech.

Looking up from the trophy, he looked into Mr. Goodshows eyes. "Mr. Goodshow." Ash began.

"I-I've never been so nervous in my life. I-I cannot even begin to tell you how much your words have meant to me." He stammered sincerely.

"The only words that I can come up with right now are 'Thank you,' but I know that's not enough. I'm going to give it my all so that I won't disappoint you!" Ash exclaimed.

Saying that Ash extended his hand forward toward Goodshow. Mr. Goodshow gave a small chuckle as he extended his hand for Ash to shake. Grinning Ash shook his hand and turned back to the crowd, who had begun to cheer for the sincerity of Ashs statement.

"I would never have made it here if it hadn't been for…" His voice trailed off as he saw something flash briefly in the night sky. He squinted as he tried to make out what it was.

The crowd seeing Ash trail off his speech and look off into the distance, followed his gaze to try to see what he was looking at.

"What's Ash doing?" Misty asked no one in particular while looking confused at the television.

"I dunno maybe he saw something?" Tracey inquired.

A few seconds of silence passed until Ashs eyes widened. He spun around and tackled Goodshow off the podium yelling "Get Down!"

The Ketchum house gasped as they saw Ash tackle the Chairman of the Pokémon League.

"IS HE INSA-"Misty began to scream in disbelieve, but soon silenced at what followed next.

The camera had followed Ash as he tackled the Chairman, but had soon gone black as an explosion was heard. The screen changed again to show a destroyed, smoking podium with nobody around it.

Seconds later a rapid succession of explosions were sent throughout the stadium. The picture cut to an outside view of the stadium where smoke and fire could be seen, and terrified screams could be heard.

Crowds of people began frantically pushing though each other as they made their escape out of the under attack stadium. Most uninjured but some had bruises and cuts from the debris of the heavily damaged stadium.

The picture changed once again, but this time to a helicopter view far from the stadium. It could see in the distance, the flames and smoke that where spreading through the stadium could be seen perfectly, as the flames lit up the night sky.

But now they could see what was attacking the stadium. They were faint, and hard to see. But it was possible to see dozens of black helicopters hovering and landing around the Island.

A close up of one of the helicopters showed it landing on the beach of the island. The back hatch to the helicopter opened and what appeared to be a squad of black dressed trainers emerged and headed off toward the stadium.

No one said a word. No one looked away from the horror they were watching. The only thoughts in their minds were 'Were Ash, Brock and Dawn alive?'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_**[2 Days Later]**_

Mrs. Ketchum blew her nose for the fifteenth time that hour. It had been two days since the attack at the Pokémon League and there had been no way to contact Ash and his friends. All communication with the island had been cut, she had tried desperately but she hadn't been able to get through.

More tears welled up in her already puffy red eyes. She didn't hold them back, she was scared. Scared she was never going to see Ash again. She had never been so terrified in her life when she saw the attack.

'_The injuries from the Attack at the Lilly of the Valley have been tallied up to over one thousand people.'_ A voice from the television said. Mrs. Ketchums felt a lump in her throat as she heard that.

'_However there had only been 3 reported deaths in the attack, but investigators are still searching the stadium for bodies and trapped individuals inside the ruins of the stadium.' _The television stated.

'_This is Jessica Waters from KNN News, back to you Phil.' _the news reporter finished.

Mrs. Ketchum shut off the TV not wanting to hear any more about the attack. She blew her nose again and looked at the clock. It was 2AM and she felt drained of all her energy. She wanted to sleep and forget just for a few seconds what happened, but every time she closed her eyes she saw Ash being killed by falling debris or being hit by that explosion. As she started thinking about this her eyes began to fill with tears again.

_Ring, Ring ,Ring, Phone call Phone Call._ The videophone rang.

Hearing the sound she could swears her heart stopped for what seemed like an hour.

Mrs. Ketchum bolted off the couch and ran toward the videophone. Knocking over a lamp in the process, she didn't care. All she wanted was to see her little Ash again.

A jumble of footsteps could be heard from upstairs as the others heard the phone. Mrs. Ketchum waited until everyone was down to pick up the phone.

Her hand went shakily to pick up the phone. As soon as the phone was off the hook the black of the screen came alive to show Brock on the other end.

"B-B-B-Brock.." Mrs. Ketchum trailed off not trusting herself to not break out into tears.

"Brock! Are you okay? Where's Dawn? What happened out there? Where's Ash? Where's Pikachu?" The questions came shooting out from the group of assembled people behind Mrs. Ketchum.

Brock waited before he spoke. When he did, it was shaky, and by the paleness of his face, they knew something was wrong.

"I-I'm fine." He stopped to recover his breath.

No one at the Ketchum residence said anything, they waited for him to continue.

"D-Dawns hurt, but she'll live. A broken leg, and a-a sprained wrist." Brock was shaking now, a tear came down the side of his face.

P-P-Pikachu." He stopped to take a deep breath. "I-Is in critical condition."

Everyone's face paled as Brock said that. "T-The rest of our Pokémon are fine as well." He added on for the benefit of the others.

They waited for him to continue. But he didn't.

Mrs. Ketchum felt like she was going to faint, why hadn't he said anything about Ash, where was he? How was doing!

Misty broke the unbearable silence. Stuttering as she said this on the verge of tears she asked the question that they were all now scared to hear. "Brock? Where is A-Ash."

The question met with silence. The suspense was killing them. Brock looked at the ground not daring to meet any of their gazes. Tears streamed freely down his face. He looked up at the faces on the monitor.

But he had to say it. "Missing."

Mrs. Ketchum had enough, whether it be from the stress of finding out were Ash was, the answers Brock had given her, or the exhaustion she was feeling, she fainted.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_**[1 Week Later]**_

The following weeks of the attack had gone by quick. But they had been painful.

A week after the phone call, Brock had returned to Kanto and had gone to Pewter city to inform his family that we he was fine, and to tell them about what happened at the league.

Dawn had gone back to Twinleaf town immediately after they got off Lily of the Valley Island. She had to rest and heals. The events had, had more of an effect on her because she had been the youngest of the group.

Once Brock had finished in Pewter he headed straight for Pallet Town. After a few days of traveling he arrived at the Ketchum residence and knocked shakily on the door.

The door to the house was opened by a pale Delia, her eyes were bloodshot with the lack of sleep, her hair was tangled and in a mess.

Seeing Brock she was about to hug him, but seeing the yellow bundle in his arms she forced herself not to.

"C-Come i-in Brock." She hiccuped as she quickly pulled him into the house.

Closing the door she saw Brock go up the stairs, he came back down seconds later with a blue blanket.

Placing the blanket on the couch, he carefully set Pikachu on top so it could rest.

They stayed in silence as they looked at the electric mouse.

"Mrs. Ketchum? Would you like me to make some tea while you could go have a shower?" Brock asked his best friend's mother.

"Sure B-Brock, Thank you. I'll g-go wake M-Misty up to." She stammered to keep out from bursting into tears.

Brock waited until Delia had gone upstairs before he had gone to the kitchen. _This is hard for me, but it must be almost hell for his mother._ Brock thought sadly as a single tear came down his face.

After he had the kettle boiling and gotten the cups down from the cupboard, he heard footsteps coming from the living room.

He left the kitchen and went into the living room. There he saw Misty looking at the sleeping Pikachu; she had bed head as she had just woken from her sleep. Her face was pale and tear stained, she also had some bags under her eyes.

"Misty…" Brock's voice trailed off as it began to get shaky. Misty looked up and saw Brock, he could see the pain in her eyes. She ran at him and through her arms around him and began to cry uncontrollably into the breeders' chest. Brock hugged her tightly before moving her to the couch so she could sit beside Pikachu.

"Try not to wake him, he still not entirely sure what happened, but we'll wake him in an hour or so. We still have some things left to do." Brock said quietly as he left Misty on the couch and went back to the kitchen.

Brock had just finished the tea when Mrs. Ketchum came back down from her shower. She had changed into a new pair of pink pajamas and sat down beside Misty. Brock came in and handed the tea to both of the girls.

Brock sat down on a chair he had brought into the living room. They sat in silence for a few minutes due to them not knowing where to begin. Brock decided to get things started.

He cleared his throat drawing Misty and Delia's attention to him. "If it's all right with you Mrs. Ketchum I'd like to take Pikachu," he nodded at Pikachu as he said this "and the rest of Ashs Pokémon up to lab so they could spend some time together." As Brock said this, he grabbed the bag he had brought with him and rummaged through it, he then pulled out a belt with six pokeballs attached to it.

Delia stared at the belt not saying anything. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it because she didn't trust her voice. After a second of recuperation, she managed to get out "Of course Brock. I-I think Misty and I will come along as well." Brock nodded.

Misty spoke for the first time. "Brock?" She asked her voice just above a whisper. "Yes Misty?" He asked waiting to find out what the first question would be. "How did you end up with Pikachu?" She asked stroking the little Pokémons fur.

Brock new he might as well start from the beginning. Clearing his throat a couple times before he got started. He began to tell them what happened. "As Ash dove at Goodshow, we were shocked much like you were. But Ash didn't hit the ground before the podium blew up.

"With Pikachu on his shoulder it mustn't have been expecting Ash to jump so it fell off onto the podium."

"That's when the explosion hit." Delia and Misty didn't say a word. Brock took that as a sign to continue.

"Dawn and I were blown back by the explosion. When we realized what happened, the stadium began to shake and more explosions came throughout the stadium."

Brock took a second to take a deep breath and to recompose himself. "Dust and smoke started filling the arena. I got up and looked over at Dawn, She was holding her wrist so I imagined she sprained it when she got knocked over. I told her to run to the lodge we were staying at, and that I'd go get Ash. When she had turned to leave the stadium. I made my way through the smoke to where the podium was."

"I searched the area around the podium, when I found Mr. Goodshow. He was alright, but I couldn't see Ash or Pikachu. I asked where they went but he didn't know. Once the explosion hit, Ash had disappeared."

Mistys eyes began to tear up; Delia covered her mouth with her hand to forced herself from interrupting.

"I searched around for a while longer when I tripped over something. I saw Pikachu on the ground with a deep gash in its leg." Brock took another deep breath. "I knelt down to check on it when I noticed it was barely breathing."

Brock looked down and stared at the floor. "I picked up Pikachu and made a dash toward the lodge hoping Dawn would be there. I was hoping that's where Ash would head to get his Pokémon; we had left all of ours in the lodge so they could get some rest."

"Ash never showed up. We were on the island for two days before we were able to return to Sunny Shore. And we hadn't seen him, we asked around, but no one had seen or heard him since the attack happened."

Brock felt a few tears come down his face. "That's when we called you, we got Pikachu to the emergency room in the Pokémon center, and Nurse Joy was tending to Dawns leg and wrist when I called."

Brock couldn't continue anymore, it was draining him talking about this. Misty and Delia had pain and sadness in their eyes as Brock had told them the story. Tears were running freely down their cheeks. "Mrs. Ketchum if it's okay I-I'd like to have a shower if it's okay with you." Delia didn't say anything; all she gave was a small slow nod.

Brock got up from his seat and went upstairs to the shower. But stopped as he remembered something important. He turned back to the two girls on the couch and said "If Pikachu wakes, up don't mention that we don't know where Ash is. Pikachu still hasn't been told about everything that had happened." With that he turned and went back upstairs.

After the shower Brock came back down stairs to find Misty and Delia dressed and ready to leave. "Are we going to the lab?" Asked Brock quietly when he came down the stairs. A simple "Yup" by Misty answered his question.

Brock walked over to where Pikachu was sleeping and gave it a gentle nudge. "Pikachu, Pikachu," Brock whispered quietly to wake the sleepy Pokémon.

Pikachus eyes slowly fluttered open. Taking in its present location it noticed Misty and Delia wondering where it was.

"We're going to Professor Oaks lab Pikachu, were going to see Ashs other Pokémon." Brock continued.

At that, Pikachu remembered where it had been. It got up painfully; it could still feel the wound in its leg. But it didn't care. Looking at Misty it asked "PikachuPi pi pikachu Pikapi?"(Misty? Where's Ash?)

Misty didn't understand fully understand what Pikachu had said, but she recognized 'Pikapi' as Ashs name.

She didn't answer, she looked at Brock who shook his head in a 'no' fashion and nodded toward the door.

"Come on Pikachu" She said, gently taking the small Pokémon into her arms. She walked to the front door where Brock and Delia were waiting.

Brock opened the door and let the ladies leave first. Stepping outside it was a beautiful day. Clear blue sky, the sun was shining, a nice breeze in the air. But this did little to brighten the mood of the group of people walking to the Pokémon laboratory that was five minutes away.

When the group arrived at Professor Oaks lab they were greeted by Professor Oak and Tracey. Professor Oak brought them to the field where all the Pokémon where out playing. Oak told them to stay where they were so he could gather Ash Pokémon.

Ten minutes later All of Ashs Pokémon had been gathered up into a group and waited for Ash to arrive. But he never did.

Bulbasaur stepped up to Pikachu and asked what was going on. Bulba Bul Bulbasaur saur?"(Pikachu what's going on and what happened to your leg?) it asked.

"Pi pika pika Pikachu Pikapi" (I was hurt at the Pokémon league, something happened and I haven't seen Ash since!) Pikachu exclaimed.

Ashs Pokémon gasped at that news. They started chatting wildly amongst themselves until someone interrupted them by clearing his throat. All eyes turned to Brock.

Brock took a deep breath and knelt down in front of the group of Pokémon. He then came right out and said it. "Everyone, the Pokémon League was attacked. That's how Pikachu got hurt." Brock said as he motioned towards Pikachus still bandaged leg.

Pikachu gaped for a second. '_Attack? What attack? I remember Ash and I on the stage and then, and then…Nothing?' _Pikachu thought. It smacked its head repeatedly trying to remember what happened.

Misty saw this and gently took Pikachus paws, getting it to look up at her. "A-And Ash. A-And Ash." Misty stammered trying not to choke on the tears she was holding in, she was determined to finish what she was saying. She took a deep breath and finished. "And Ash is missing." Misty had tears streaming down her face.

The Pokémon stared at her, what they heard couldn't be true. Their master, their trainer, their…friend was missing. They couldn't believe it. They wouldn't believe it.

Pikachu looked into Mistys eyes to see if this was some sort of cruel joke. He didn't want his best friend to be gone; he needed to be with Ash, he just couldn't be gone.

But the look in Misty's eyes told him otherwise.

Ash was gone.

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><p><strong>Well, there yea have it. Next chapter is going to be set in present time, so four years later and such. I hope you all enjoyed reading this, a review would be great because I am not the greatest writer out their. All criticism is welcome. With that I'll see yea guys next time.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

_**Well Here's Chapter 2 in record time! I was caught up in writing Chapter one so i went straight to Number 2. And I shocked myself when it came up to 12K words. I put a lot of effort into it, not as dark as the last chapter, but this all sets the scene for chapter 3. Oh, and i blew off studying for this...Your Welcome. Anyways without further a due, here's Chapter 2**_

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><p><em><strong>[4 Years Later]<strong>_

It was a series of sharp knocks on the door across the room that roused Misty from her sleep. Groaning she ignored the knocks and pulled her sheets over her head so she could drown out the noise.

She let out a sigh as the knocking ceased; she thought whoever was knocking had left so she began to drift back into her sleep.

"Misty! Like Misty wake up, you got to get going soon!" Daisy shouted from the other side of the door. Mistys eyes snapped opened as she realized what today was, she leapt out of her bed and ran for door.

Opening the door she saw Daisy holding her bag and a change of clothes. "Hurry up and shower, if you don't hurry you won't get to Pallet till like tomorrow." Daisy hurriedly shoved Misty into the bathroom.

"Thanks for waking me Daisy!" Misty called as she closed the door to the bathroom behind her.

After a quick shower Misty got changed into a pair of blue skinny jeans, a bright red shirt, and a yellow hoodie that hugged her slim figure well. She combed her red hair and placed it into her familiar pony tail.

Once she was ready she left the bathroom and headed downstairs to have breakfast before leaving to Pallet. Walking into the kitchen she saw Daisy, Violet, and Lily, sitting around the table eating cereal and reading many of their fashion magazines.

Misty walked to the cupboard and pulled out a bowl, she then opened the fridge and pulled out the carton of milk. Sitting down beside Violet, she grabbed the cereal that was already on the table and poured it into the bowl, followed shortly by the milk.

She took a bite and sighed. "Are you guys sure you don't want to come? Delia loves the company, she wouldn't mind if you stayed as well," looking up from her magazine Lily replied "You know we can't Misty, we have to watch the gym and besides, we know how much time you like to spend with her."

"I know, but I wouldn't mind if you came on Christmas ya know." Misty replied a little sadly.

Giving her little sister a sympathetic smile, Violet wrapped her arm around Mistys shoulder and gave her a squeeze. "Don't worry little sis, we'll see if we can make it there, if the roads aren't too bad."

Misty didn't say anything to that, she fell into silence as she ate the rest of her cereal. She took a glance at the clock on the wall and saw it was 10:30. "Well, I better get going" Misty said getting up from where she sat and placed her bowl and spoon into the sink.

The sisters got up and followed Misty as she picked up her bag and headed for the doors of the gym.

"Who are you taking with you?" Daisy asked.

"Just Azurill, you'll need the others for battling."

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you guys later," Misty said as looked at her big sisters.

They all looked at her and gave her a smile before they took her into a group hug. "We'll miss you little sis, you take care of yourself now!" Daisy cried.

"I will, I'll miss you guys too," she whispered quietly.

With that Misty left the gym.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misty shivered as another chilly gust of wind picked up on the snow covered road. She had left the gym a few hours ago and was now well on her way Pallet town. It was now going to be the fourth year in a row that she had gone to Ashs house for the holidays since Ash had disappeared.

Misty and Brock had decided that each year they would come spend the holiday with Delia so she wouldn't be lonely on the holidays. During the four years she had made regular visits to Pallet at any chance she could get.

She spent time with Delia and Pikachu, who had taken up a permanent residence at the house to keep Delia company. She helped Delia out with cooking, gardening, chores and other things that need to be done around the house.

But she always made sure to take Pikachu up to the lab to play with the rest Ashs other Pokemon. She made this an important part of her visits so that they didn't feel like they had been forgotten.

After another few hours of walking Misty finally arrived at the Ketchum residence. Walking through the gate of the white picket fence she walked to up the door and knocked three times, a click of a lock could be heard on the other side. Seconds later the door swung open and standing in the door was a smiling Mrs. Ketchum.

"Misty dear! Come in, come in!" Delia said as she ushered Misty into the house.

"Hey there Mrs. K how have you been?" Misty asked as she was enveloped in to a tight hug.

"Oh I'm fine dear thanks for asking, how have you been?" Delia motioned for Misty to sit on the couch while she went to grab her something to eat.

"Same old same old I suppose."

Delia came back in moments later with a plate of cookies and a glass of juice for Misty. "That's good to hear." With that the two drifted into small talk and caught up with each other about the resent events in their lives.

Misty couldn't help but feel something was missing, but then it hit her. "Where's Pikachu Mrs. K?" She said looking around hoping her little friend would come say hello.

Delia chuckled at that. "Oh the poor little guy tuckered himself out at the lab today, so he went to sleep early," Misty had to smile at that, but she couldn't help the yawn that escaped her. "Oh I'm so sorry Misty where are my manners, you've been on the road all day you must be tired." Delia said getting up from the couch. She stole a glance at the clock and it was 11PM

"You get some rest and we'll talk in the morning, you know where the guest room is." She pointed to the stairs.

"Yup, thanks again Mrs. K for letting me stay here, it means a lot."

"Oh Misty you know I wouldn't have anything less. Now march up there and get some sleep missy!" Delia joked. Misty let out a quiet laugh and gave a quick wave before heading up the stairs.

Once upstairs she went to the bathroom to change into her pajamas, she headed down stairs and said a quick 'goodnight' to Delia before heading back up the stairs. She was about to go into her room, when she stopped because she noticed the door to Ashs room was cracked open.

She went over a quietly peeked into the dark room. As she looked in a wave of pain and sadness over took her as she saw all the badges, trophies, and pictures in the room. She walked over to the desk in the room and picked up the framed picture that sat on top.

In it was a picture of a grinning young Ash in the outfit he had worn when he, Misty, and Brock had been traveling together. On his left was a smiling Brock who had his hands in his pockets and on his right was herself grinning with her hand behind Ashs head making bunny ears.

A sad smile came across her face, being with Ash had always been the best time of her life, she felt blissful happiness whenever he was around, she felt like she could do anything with him by her side. Over time she felt that she didn't want to be his friend, she wanted more. She had grown strong feelings for him, which had remained with her to that day.

She had always been so afraid of what would happen if she told him she loved him, she was afraid that he'd laugh at her, reject her, or what she feared the most not want to be her friend anymore.

But the day Ash disappeared; she wished she could redo her time with him, just to tell him how she felt about him. A tear came down her cheek as she placed the photo back onto the desk.

She wiped away the tear and turned around and made her way toward the door, until something on the bed caught her eye. Curled up on the bed lay Pikachu, she went over and sat down next to him and slowly stroked his fur.

Pikachus eyes slowly opened to see who was petting it, as it saw who it was it shot up like it hadn't been asleep.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu jumped into Mistys arms and nuzzled its face against her cheek. Hugging the little mouse tightly in her arms she giggled as he let out a happy "Chaa,"

"Hey there Pikachu how have you been, I missed my little buddy!" She giggled as she hugged Pikachu tighter. Pikachu responded by giving her a grin, then hugging her back.

"Well Pikachu I've got to get to bed, but I'll see you in the morning," she said getting up from the bed and placing Pikachu back on it.

Pikachu hesitated as Misty put him back onto the bed. Misty didn't notice and said goodnight before heading to her room. Misty walked into her room and was about to get into bed when she heard a scratching on the door.

Opening the door Pikachu stood looking up at her with a smile on his face. "Need something Pikachu?" Misty asked suppressing a yawn.

"Pika pika pikachu," he said pointing at the bed. Misty smiled as she knew what Pikachu was asking. Picking up the electric type she walked over to the bed and placed Pikachu onto the bed, following quickly she scooted underneath the covers.

Pikachu crawled up beside her and curled into a ball closing its eyes. "G'night Pikachu," she said softly before drifting off into sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The following days were uneventful; Misty spent most of the time with Delia helping her around the house, and spending time up at the lab with Pikachu and the other Pokemon.

It was 5 days before Christmas and Brock was going to be showing up in a day or two. Misty, with the help of Pikachu, was helping set up the second guestroom for Brock. While Pikachu put pillows into clean pillowcases she had stripped the bed and began to put on clean sheets. Humming to herself Misty picked up the pillows Pikachu had finished with and put them onto the bed.

"All done Pikachu!" she said cheerfully.

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped up onto her shoulder, and nuzzled his face against her cheek.

Giggling Misty shut off the light and made her way to the stairs. She stopped when the hall lights flickered on and off. Pikachu looked to the light switch at the other end of the hall but no one was there. Shrugging they went to the kitchen to get a snack.

Misty made herself her favorite drink, hot chocolate, while Pikachu happily snacked on a bottle of ketchup. The front door opened and was quickly slammed shut. Curious Misty peeked her head into the living room to see Delia taking her jacket off.

"That's one strong wind out there Misty! Won't be going back out there tonight!" Delia exclaimed trying to fix her windblown hair. Misty giggled and asked if she'd like some hot chocolate. Delia eagerly agreed and came into the kitchen with Misty.

"So do you know when Brock will be getting here?" Misty asked taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

"Sometime around noon the day after tomorrow,"

"That's great; it'll be great to see him again."

"It rea-"Delia was cut off when the kitchen window was slammed open by the wind.

Startled Misty and Delia quickly ran over to the window, and with a little bit of effort they managed to shut and lock it.

"It's really blowing out there isn't it" Misty said quietly.

"Sure is, I'd hate to be caught out in the snow with this weather." Delia replied.

It was getting late around 10, so the two girls, along with Pikachu went into the living room and plopped down onto the couch. They decide to put in a romance movie _'Both enjoyed them immensely'_ and began to watch intently. Nearing the end of the movie they both had fallen asleep, Pikachu had fallen asleep in Mistys lap.

Pikachu wasn't sure what it was that had begun to wake it up. Yawning it carefully crept out of Mistys lap and looked at the time. It was nearing 2AM so it decided to make its way up to Ashs room to sleep.

Pikachu slowly went to climb the stairs, but something stopped it. He could hear a very faint sound. Pikachu looked around the room listening intently try to find the source sound was coming from. It sounded like a very feint thumping sound.

Pikachu narrowed down where the sound came from, when a louder thump from the front door alerted it. Pikachu cocked his head at the door, waiting for the sound to begin again. It didn't.

Pikachu walked up to the door and tapped it, as if it was going to respond. It didn't. So Pikachu hopped up to the window behind the TV and checked to see if it could make out what was at the door. He couldn't see it perfectly but there was a black form leaning against the door.

That was good enough for Pikachu, he hopped into Mistys lap and began tapping her on the head to wake her up. After a minute of tapping Misty finally opened her eyes. "Pikachu? What are you doing(Yawn) what time is it?" She asked groggily. Pikachu then began to chat to her while pointing at the door.

Rubbing her eyes Misty looked to where Pikachu was pointing. "Someone there Pikachu? Is it Brock?" Misty stood up and with Pikachu leading the way she went to unlock the door.

Opening the door, she reeled back with a startled yelp as the door swung open and a person fell into the house. Pikachu leapt back in shock with sparks shooting from its cheeks as the person fell into the house.

Delia startled by Mistys scream, leapt up from her sleep and stared at Misty wide eyed, and then she caught the figure on the ground.

"Misty! Who is that! Why did you scream!" Delia exclaimed confusion and startled by what she saw in front of her.

"I-I don't know who it is! Pikachu woke me up and pointed to the door, I opened it and this guy fell in!" Misty exclaimed in shock pointing at the person who still lay in an unmoving heap on the ground." Her heart was still beating furiously after being half scared to death.

The two girls watched as Pikachu slowly moved closer to the person. He was wearing dark blue jeans, black and white sneakers, a badly torn black hoodie, he had a black back pack slung over his back that appeared to be full, and he also had 3 pokeballs on his belt. The hood was up so they couldn't make out any physical features.

Pikachu poked him, the person didn't move, Pikachu poked him a little harder, he didn't move. Pikachu stood up and went to look at his face which was facing away from them. Looking at the person Pikachu couldn't help but think that he'd seen this person before.

"Careful Pikachu," Misty whispered at what Pikachu was doing.

Pikachu took the hood and forced it down off the persons head. Under the hood was black hair covered by a black baseball cap, but at the tips of the hair, a shade of almost white hair could be seen. Pikachu studied the person carefully, taking a careful step forward he sniffed him.

That did it. Pikachus eyes widened, he started playing around with the boys hair moving it out of his face. He then took off the cap and his jaw dropped.

Now Misty and Delia were more than a little confused at what Pikachu was doing, but when they saw his expression they knew something was wrong. It didn't take long for them to figure it out.

Pikachu looked up at them and whispered.

"Pikapi!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The room fell silent, except for the sound of the wind coming through the still open door.

Delia and Misty paled, and their jaws dropped when they heard what Pikachu had said.

'_Pikapi, Pikapi, Pikapi,'_ the words kept repeating in her head. _'it couldn't be he's gone, he's, he's, Pikapi, Pikapi, Pikapi'_

Pikachu had begun to try and roll the person over onto his back; he was having trouble so without looking up he motioned for Misty and Delia to help him. When no one came to help him he looked up.

Misty and Delia were frozen in place, like ice had filled their veins disabling them from moving. Pikachu ran up and started shaking Misty. She didn't move, she was far too deep into thought. Pikachu tried Delia, he got the same result.

Pikachu looked back at the figure on the ground and knew he couldn't leave him there.

"Pika-Chuuu!" Pikachu cried out as Electricity shot from the red electric pouches on its cheeks, hitting the two frozen girls.

"AAAAH!" Screamed both girls as electricity coursed through their bodies, bringing them back to their senses. Looking at Pikachu they could see he was chatting furiously as he pointed at who he said was Ash. Delia and Misty looked at each other and went to flip the person over.

Flipping him over they could make out his face perfectly, the messy raven black hair, his eyes were closed; the face was covered in dirt, and the firm jaw.

The gasped. They were pale before, but now they were as white as the snow outside. They looked at him with too many emotions to count. They were happy, terrified, shocked, ecstatic, excited, and much more.

Delia bent over him and grabbed his face with her hands it felt ice cold, she felt like she was dreaming. Her baby boy was back from the dead. "It's him Misty…It's really him…" Her voice faltered as tears streamed down her face. Misty was too dumbfounded to say anything.

But soon Delias motherly instinct kicked in. Delia shot up from where she was on the ground, she slammed the door closed and turned to Misty. "Grab his legs Misty we have to get Ash upstairs into bed! He's going to freeze to death!" She shouted. Misty quickly took off his backpack and placed it against the wall, she then went around Ash and grabbed his legs.

She expected him to be heavier, but he was a lot lighter then she would have expected. They carried him up the stairs and brought him into the guestroom Misty had prepared earlier. Once he was on the bed Misty took a moment to get a good look at him.

Pikachu hopped up onto the bed and sat beside Ash, as Delia pulled the covers down and moved him under them. Once he was under, she pulled the covers back up to Ashs chin. Pikachu crawled onto Ashs chest and curled up.

Misty looked at Ash, than to Delia who was staring at him as if he was going to leap off the bed at any moment and pull her into a hug any second. Misty walked over to her and grasped her into a tight hug, Delia more than willingly reciprocated.

The two began to sob into each others shoulder; they were not tears of sadness tho, no. They were tears of joy. After that they sat on the bed and waited. Not saying a word, they sat there and waited.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Warmth spread over his face, he didn't want to open his eyes. He hadn't felt this comfortable in ages. He tried to turn over but he felt something on his chest. His eyes slowly fluttered opened. The warmth he had felt had come from the light that had come through a crack in the curtains of the room he was in.

He went to rub his eyes but found his arms were constricted tightly under the covers. He finally looked to see what was on his chest. His heart skipped a beat, a stricken expression on his face.

"P-Pikachu?" He asked.

Pikachus ears twitched at the sound of his voice. Pikachus eyes opened and they were instantly filled with happiness. "Pikapi!" Pikachu jumped up and snuggled up to Ash, tears in his eyes.

Ash finally able to free his arms of the sheets, took Pikachu into his arms and pulled him into a tight hug. Tears ran down Ashs cheeks, as he hugged his best friend for the first time in four years. "I-I missed you so much buddy, I wanted to see you every day but I couldn't." His voice cracked as more tears came down his face.

Pikachu snuggled deep into Ashs chest tears now coming down his face. He didn't want Ash to let go of him he was to happy, and relieved that his best friend was back after so long. Pikachu looked up into Ashs brown eyes, he gave Ash a lick on the cheek which made Ash laugh a little and pull him closer.

Ash finally let Pikachu out of the hug, which Pikachu seemed to resist at first. He pulled himself out of bed, and looked around the room. He was in the guest room. "Hey Pikachu, I need you to check the hall to see moms up here, can you do that for me?"

"Pi Pikapi!" Pikachu leapt off the bed, Ash slowly and quietly opened the door and made sure to stay out of sight. Pikachu popped his head through the small crack in the door and looked down the hall, he glanced up at Ash and shook his head in a 'no' fashion.

Ash let out a sigh, "Thanks buddy," smiling he knelt down next to Pikachu and scratched behind his ear the way he used to like it. Apparently he still did, Pikachu grinned face lighting up at the touch of his friend scratching his favorite area behind his ears. This instantly brought a grin to Ashs face.

Looking around the room Ash did not see his bag, and that was a problem. "Pikachu I need your help," he asked smiling at his long time best friend. Pikachu nodded vigorously at a chance to help Ash, it would feel great to do it again!

"Thanks, I'm going to go into the bathroom and have a shower. But before I do I need you to go down stairs and get me my bag." He stopped as he thought about something. "If someone follows you I need you to knock once on the door okay?" Pikachu nodded, "once you're alone knock three times okay?" Pikachu nodded again. "Let's go!" Ash whispered.

Ash snuck down the hallway extremely quietly, which Pikachu thought was uncanny. The Ash he remembered would have made enough noise to wake the dead.

Ash silently opened the bathroom door and motioned for Pikachu to get his bag. Seeing Pikachu head downstairs he quickly entered and closed the bathroom door and with a click, he locked it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Pikachu scampered down the stairs. This immediately drew the attention of Misty and Delia who were sitting on the couch quietly talking, about Ash no doubt. Pikachu hadn't left Ash since he got back, which meant that Ash might be up. Seeing Pikachu they followed him with their eyes.

Pikachu saw the bag and grabbed it with his paws and slowly began to drag it toward the stairs. This confirmed Misty and Delias suspicions. They got up and followed Pikachu as he dragged the bag up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs Pikachu stopped to catch his breath, the bag was pretty heavy. After recovering his breath he dragged it down the rest of the hall toward the bathroom. He was about to knock when he felt like he was being watched.

Turning around he saw that Misty and Delia were right behind him watching him curiously. Pikachu stared at them, and they stared back. Pikachu broke the silence.

_Knock._

Pikachu stared at them, they stared back. A moment of silence followed, until.

_Knock._

Once again the staring contest began. Misty took a hesitant step forward. Delia did the same. Pikachu cocked his head sideways as he watched them curiously. Mistys heart began to beat furiously, she wasn't sure why but Pikachu knew something, he hadn't said anything and he was giving her a confused look.

The silence was broken by three rapid knocks on the door. But Pikachu didn't do it. But it did however knock once.

_Knock._

The hallway turned silent. Misty took a shot, the silence was awkward and odd and she knew Ash was up by the fact Pikachu was knocking on the bathroom door and it was magically knocking back.

"A-Ash are y-you in there?" She stammered but said it loud enough so that it could be heard in the bathroom. No answer.

"Honey, its mom are you in if you are please say something," Again no answer. But there was a knock

_Knock._

Pikachu pointed to the stairs. Misty and Delias gazed followed and looked at the stairs, they then looked at each other and then back at Pikachu. Delia pointed at the stairs, Pikachu nodded and gave smile.

Honestly they didn't know what was going on, but it was odd and awkward. Before they did what Pikachu was telling them, Delia tried one thing. She ran up to the door beside Pikachu, and knocked on the door hard. "Ash honey please open the door, I-I-I wanna see my little boy I miss you so much!" She had tears welling up in her eyes.

There was no answer.

She sighed, and turned back to Misty, Misty noticed she had a slightly hurt expression on her face. Misty noted for when she did see Ash he was going to get a slap for that.

The two turned and went down the stairs. But they couldn't help but hear three rapid knocks on the door followed by it quickly opening then shutting closed.

'_Boy is he gonna get it!'_ Misty thought.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash heard the three knocks, he unlocked the door and swung it open quickly. He pulled in Pikachu and his bag. He quickly shut it and locked it again. Ash sat on the floor next to Pikachu. He took his bag and undid the zipper. Searching around for a second he took out a change of underwear, another pair of jeans, a short sleeved black V-neck t-shirt, and a black baseball cap.

"Thanks Pikachu, I can't see them quite yet. But if you want I'm gonna take a shower so you can go downstairs and see them if you like.

"Chu Pikapi" Pikachu smiled and stretched down on the floor.

"Okay buddy, I'll be done in a few minutes," With that Ash gave Pikachu a smile and a scratch behind the ear and turned on the shower.

Getting in the shower felt like heaven, the last time he had a shower with hot water had been, well over a month ago. Ash began to lather shampoo into his hair, drifting into thought as he did so. _'This is going to be hard, if they've let a single person know I've been here I'm going to have to leave right away. On the other hand, I'm going need a few excuses most can be the truth, but I can't go into too much detail. _

Shampoo now out of his hair he shut off the water and grabbed the towel that was hung over the shower curtain. Drying himself off, he changed into his clean clothes and looked into the mirror. He really had to fix his hair that was number one on his to-do list after he hopefully talked with his mom…and Misty? Which surprised him greatly.

Ash took a deep breath before setting his face in to an emotionless expression. He had gotten himself ready for a moment like this.

Pikachu seeing Ash about to open the door got up from where he was sprawled out on the floor. Ash pulled his cap down so that his eyes would be shielded from the two downstairs. "Let's go Pikachu." Ash said opening the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misty and Delias heads snapped up when they heard the sound of a door closing. Their hearts beat faster as they heard quiet footsteps from upstairs. Pikachu ran down the stairs and onto the couch beside them smiling. For them time seemed to slow down, it felt like an hour before they finally saw him.

They stared at him, they couldn't tell if he was looking back his eyes were hidden by the shadow from the hat he was wearing.

Misty took in everything she could about him. He was definitely taller than when she had last seen him. He was well muscled, she could see that by the shirt he had on. He also had his back pack on, she hoped to God that he wasn't leaving. The one thing that was undeniable about him was there was an air of confidence around him but he was tense, she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

She wished she could see his eyes tho, she knew that the eyes were the way to their soul, and that's where the curiosity burned. She longed to know if he was still the same person she had fallen in love with all those years ago.

"A-Ash?" Delias voice was quiet and it wavered. She got up from the couch and took a step towards him. He took a step back. Her heart sank, tears came streaming down her face.

"Have you told anyone?" His voice was deeper, it wasn't harsh it had no emotion in how he said it, the only way to describe it would be…Calm.

"What do yo-"

"Have you told anyone I've been here?" He looked to her and Misty.

"N-No sweetie,"

"You're sure? If you've told anyone I need to know!" His voice was so calm it was almost scary.

"N-No I swear honey we-we haven't told anyone, when we got you into bed we waited for you to get up"

He stood as if he was made of stone. He stood there motionless, they couldn't help but feel like he was analyzing them for to see if what they had said was the truth. But he let out a deep breath. He shrugged his backpack off his shoulder and placed it quietly on the ground. Then to Misty and Delias relief he took off his hat, they could now see his eyes.

Ash stepped forward and before Delia knew it she was being held tightly in a hug. The shock, the happiness, the warmth, the fact that she wasn't dreaming all hit her like a ton of bricks. She broke down crying she threw her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. He held her close and rubbed her back to comfort her. He rocked her back and forth to try and sooth her.

Misty sat silently, there were tears in her eyes from the sweet sight, and she knew that she would be next. Misty noticed he was still rather calm, instead of being emotional about this.

After a few minutes of holding her, her crying had almost stopped. He slowly loosened the hug so he could look at her. "I-Its rea-l-l-ly you A-Ash?" She hiccupped as she whispered this.

He smiled at her, "It's really me mom, I'm home," he gave her a peck on the cheek to prove she wasn't dreaming. She hugged him as tightly as she could, she wanted to say something, anything but she was speechless. He rocked her back and forth a little more to get her to calm down. After another minute he released the hug and helped her to the couch, she was shaking terribly.

Once she had sat down, Ash said he would be just a second. He ran upstairs in a flash, and appeared seconds later with a blanket that he draped around her shoulders. She gripped the blanket and smiled at him tears still running down her face.

For Misty her heart stopped. He turned to her and gave her a smile. She shakily got to her feet. She didn't know what to do, she wanted to him to hold her so bad, but she couldn't. Instead however.

She swung her hand at Ashs face with all the power she could muster, she expected to hear a satisfying '_Smack'_ but what happened caught her off guard.

Ash raised his hand and grasped the hand she had swung at him firmly. Her and Delia mouth gaped at Ash. The grip Ash had on her hand was strong, but know where near enough to make it hurt. Misty stared at their hands, until she realized that Ash was looking at her. She felt ashamed at what she tried to do, but when she looked into Ashs eyes they seemed show that he… Understood why she had tried it.

The next thing she knew was that she felt an arm go around her waist and one around her shoulders which drew her closer to him. Her heart leapt at the feeling that overcame her. Being held by him for the first time in years made her shake. She remembered the day he had disappeared and the pain that caused her. But now it all seemed to vanish

She threw her arms around him and cried into his chest, he held her tighter then he had before. He began to rock her back and forth like he had to his mom, it worked well, the way she was held and the way the rocking motion calmed her, she felt like she was in heaven and all this was too good to be true. She looked into his brown eyes, and melted at what she felt. His gaze was so comforting, so compassionate, it felt so right.

On the verge of breaking into more tears she snuggled her head into his chest. He held her there for what in her mind felt like an eternity. After her shaking had died down he went to release the hug, but was baffled when she didn't let go, she held him tighter so he couldn't get away.

Her heart leapt as he lifted her chin so she could look at him, she felt her face flush because their faces were only inches apart, but he wouldn't know because she was sure her face was red enough due to her crying. He then said softly, "Come on Mist, sit down and I'll make you two some hot chocolate, I'm sure you've got plenty of questions to ask."

She didn't answer, but she very reluctantly and shakily released her grip from around him. And took his offered hand, as he helped her sit down. "Are you two okay by yourself for a bit if I go make you something to drink?" He asked soft and quietly. They didn't meet his eyes, but they both nodded.

Ash hesitated, before getting Pikachu who had been observing the scene unfold in front of him curiously, to come with him into the kitchen. Misty and Delia didn't say a word; they were too deep in thought to say anything, not to mention if one of them said something they might burst into tears again.

"So far so good Pikachu, I'm going to have to go out later tho, so if you could take care of mom and Misty for me I'd be grateful."

"Pi chu Pikapi chu pika pika chu pi," Pikachu answered trying to get into the fridge.

Ash chuckled at Pikachu, he opened the fridge for his friend and pulled out the ketchup bottle and handed it to him. Pikachu grinned up at his best friend, who obviously hadn't forgotten his love for the tasty red treat.

Ash finished the drinks and brought them out to the two girls. Delia who had almost recovered from when she had first seen Ash took hers into her hands and gave him a tired grin. Misty took hers into her shaky hands; Ash seeing that she might spill put his hands over hers to help her steady the cup.

Misty felt a blush beginning to light up her face; she mumbled what Ash thought was a thank you and smiled down at her. She didn't dare meet his gaze, she knew that if she did she would shake more than before.

Delia couldn't help but smile as she saw Ash helping Misty by holding her hands. _'Oh isn't that the most adorable thing, he really has matured. Too bad I wasn't there to see it tho'_ she thought sadly as another tear escaped her eyes.

Ash noticed this immediately, "Are you okay mom?" He asked gently giving her that toothy smile she loved so much. Her heart welled up, she hadn't seen him so caring for them before in his life, it was touching to see such a sensitive side to him.

"I'm fine honey, just a little emotional right now," he nodded, he understood perfectly. He had known that is was going to be a very stressful time for them, and that emotions would be all over the place. That was best described when Misty had tried to slap him.

Ash went to the kitchen and got himself a chair and brought it into the living room and placed it so he was facing the two of them.

The room was quiet; Ash was waiting for one of them to bring up a question so that he could get started. He didn't rush them because he wanted them to be somewhat stable before he got to certain questions.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

They sat in silence except for the occasional slurp as one of the girls took a drink. He took a glance at the clock; it was 4 in the afternoon. He cleared his throat apologetically, getting their attention. "I don't want to be rude," he said it as softly and as gently as he could. "But I need to make a phone call, so if I do that it will take maybe 5 minutes. If I do that do you think you'll want to ask any question when I'm done?"

"Sure honey go ahead, Misty and I will be ready by then. Were sorry to keep you waiting." Delia smiled at him.

"It's fine mom, I'll answer whenever you two are ready. I'll be back in a couple minutes." Ash said getting up from his seat. Pikachu was about to follow when Ash stopped him. "Sorry Pikachu, I need to make this phone call alone. It's nothing special, just an errand I need to get done." Pikachus ears drooped a little as Ash said this. Ash crouched down so he was level with his buddy.

Ash scratched behind Pikachus ears and motioned at his backpack. "I tell you what, you wait here and get these two talking and I'll show you all something," Pikachus ears perked up at that, little did Ash know that caught the attention of Misty and his mom.

Ash put the hat he had worn before back on so that it half concealed and revealed his eyes. Misty noted that it gave him a slight air of mystery about him. Ash walked into the kitchen and turned on the video phone. He took the phone book and looked through the yellow pages. He scanned it until he stopped at a number. He dialed it in and waited as the phone rang.

The phone was picked up by a perky brunette with lively green eyes and freckles on her face. "Hello this is Cindy from Pallet Snippers, how can I help you?" She asked cheerfully.

"Hey there Cindy I was wondering if I could make an appointment for around 10AM tomorrow?"

"Sure thing, please hang on a second while I grab a pen." Ash gave her a smile as she disappeared off the screen. Moments later she reappeared in front of the screen with a pen in hand.

"We have open times at 10:15, 10:30, and 10:50. Would you like one of those times?" She asked happily.

Ash pursed his lips in thought. Smiling he said "Could you sign me up for the 10:15 slot?"

"Sure thing, all I need is your name."

Without a hesitation Ash replied "Shay," he paused as she wrote it down. "Flasoda," she asked him to spell it out for her which he assumed she would.

"Well looks like we'll see you tomorrow at 10 Mr. Flasoda,"

"Alright see you then," he replied smiling. With that he hung up the phone and returned to the living room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash returned to the living room and sat back down in front of the two girls. They seemed to have gotten themselves pretty much under control.

Pikachu came and hopped up onto his lap. "So, any questions?" Ash asked softly.

Misty shook her head, but Delia spoke up. "Um actually dear, I do have a small question." Ash gave her a reassuring smile that coaxed her to continue.

"I was wondering…" her voice trailed off, but was soon picked up as she saw Ash smiling at her "When you came down stairs, why d-did you step back when I took a step towards you."

Ash nodded at the simple question, he knew the tougher ones would come up later, but he'd answer those at a different time.

"Well remember when I asked you if you had told anyone I was here?" She nodded. "If you had I would have had to leave right away." Her and Mistys mouth dropped a little at that.

"I couldn't let anyone know I was here, and before you ask why, it's something I can't answer for you quite yet. But you'll understand in a day or two." Delia was confused at that answer, but decide to not to press the matter anymore.

"Um Ash?" Misty met his gaze as he looked over to her and she shyly looked away. "Um who did you call on the phone just a moment ago. You said you couldn't have anyone knowing you were here so…" She trailed off leaving him to finish the statement for her.

"I'm glad you asked that Mist," She hung her head bashfully as she felt herself warm up when he called her that. "Hair cut" he replied simply.

Delia looked up curious now, Misty forgetting her previous shyness. "What do you mean 'hair cut'?" Ash face palmed as he realized he needed to explain a lot more.

"Tomorrow are you two by any chance going up to the lab?" he asked curiosity in his voice.

"We didn't plan on it, why?" Ash didn't answer immediately he was deep in thought.

"How's Brock doing?" Ash finally asked. The two girls looked dumbfounded at him, he had been talking about getting a haircut than going to the lab, and now he changes it to Brock?

He raised an eyebrow at them. "Well he's doing fine, he should be here tomorrow but wh-" Delia stopped at what she had said. "Oh my goodness! Brock's going to be here tomorrow! We got to fix the guest bed and oh my I'm going to have to still get the tree out!" Delia was panicking, but stopped when she felt Ash put his arms around her in a hug.

"Thanks honey, I needed that. With this whole thing going on I forgot Brock was coming."

Ash smiled at her which instantly put a smile back on her face. "It's okay, but Brock is coming tomorrow?"

"Yeah we've come for Christmas every year since you…" Misty trailed off not wanting to continue.

Ash gave her a sympathetic look, he knew it was harder for her then it was for him. They spent years wondering if he was dead or if by some miracle he was alive, and if he was, where was he.

"it's okay Misty," he placed his hand on top of hers to get her to look at him. "Tomorrow I'm going to need your help. But first what time is Brock going to be arriving at?"

"Probably around two why?"

"I'm going to need you, mom, and Pikachu to not be here when he arrives. I need you to leave a note on the door saying that you've gone to the lab. But you can't say a word about me being here. I want you two to get Brock, Prof. Oak, Tracey, and Gary if he's there, into the research room and I'll take it from there."

"What do you plan on doing" Delia asked him curiously. "Giving everyone a Christmas Miracle,"

Clapping his hands lightly together, he looked at the time. He took a look at the clock and saw that it was 5 o'clock. "Well that's enough of this for now. Why don't you two go have a shower, or take a nap. I don't think you slept last night did you?" They shook their head.

"Well as of right now you two relax I'll get supper ready, but I want you two to be stress free. Today's been a long day and I would feel a lot better knowing that you to were taking it easy, so if you need anything, and I mean anything you let me know and I'll get it done."

Misty and Delia gaped at what Ash had said; for starters he had said _he_ would cook dinner, and that Ash had basically implied that he'd be _their_ slave for the rest day.

Ash got up and headed for the kitchen, while Misty and Delia watched in astonishment as Ash got to work. Delia hesitant at first, but took Ash up on his offer and went to take a nap. She was dead tired, physically and mentally. Misty on the other hand took a shower before coming to join Ash in the kitchen.

"Hi Ash," she spoke quietly so that she wouldn't startle him. Hearing her voice he spun around and flashed her his toothy smile. _'Gosh he looks so cute when he looks at me like that; it's so hard to concentrate when he has that goofy smile on.' _She bit her lip nervously as she came in and sat at the kitchen table.

"Ash?" She asked him.

"Yeah Mist? You got a question?"

"Umm no not really it's just, I wanted to say that I really missed you." She lowered her head so he wouldn't see the tears that she was holding back.

Ash turned on the stove before he turned to Misty. Turning around he saw that she was hiding her face. Walking over beside her he pulled up a chair and sat beside her. Ash gently put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. "I know Misty, I've missed you every day that I've been gone. It was a lot harder for you then it was for me because you didn't know if I was dead or alive right?"

She nodded not looking up, "Its okay to cry Misty, don't be afraid to. And besides I've got a shoulder for you anytime if you need one," He smiled at her and playfully nudged her with his elbow.

Misty giggled and looked at Ashs smiling face. He was so caring, and his voice was soothing. She wanted him to hug her again, she felt so happy in his arms.

"D-Do I have to be crying for a hug?" She asked a little curiously. Ashs face lit up into a grin as he got up from his seat and helped her up.

"Of course not," he whispered pulling her tightly into his arms.

Misty wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, her heart lifted as he began rocking her back and forth the way he had before.

Ash broke the hug slowly, this time Misty let go reluctantly but not without trying keep him there. "You want to help me with supper?"

Misty bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. "I'm not to great in the kitchen remember Ash, you might be better off on your own," embarrassed as she was at this. It was the truth.

"Alright, but if you change your mind let me know," chuckling as he said this he got back to work.

Misty sat back down and looked at him working. When a thought crossed her mind. "Ash did you make an appointment with the hair salon?"

"Yeah why?"

"Well you have to give your name to make an appointment, and like you said before you didn't want people to know you were here. And if people heard Ash Ketchum that would start some commotion don't ya think?"

Ash laughed quietly to himself, "Can you stir the rice for me and ill grab something to show you," He asked bringing her over to the stove. Misty took the wooden spoon and began to stir as Ash left the kitchen. A minute later he returned with Pikachu on his shoulder and his back pack in his hands.

Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and onto the table as Ash set the bag down and unzipped one of the pouches. He stuck his hand into the bag and pulled out two items. A thin case, and a Pokedex.

Misty stopped stirring and looked at the case Ash was handing her. Looking at Ash he motioned for her too open the case. She lifted the lid and inside was what looked like three badges.

Misty gasped, "Ash? Are these badges?" She asked incredulously!

"Yup, well actually a little different but they mean the same thing. But after the… '_Accident'_ my Pokedex was destroyed. And I didn't have a Pokemon, or a Pokedex and I knew I couldn't go to Prof. Oak, Birch, Rowan, or Elm, so I had to go somewhere I hadn't been before. Somewhere where no one would recognize me."

"Where did you go?" She was dead curious now.

"The Orre region, very dangerous place, there isn't really a league, but there are coliseums that you battle in, and once you win four of the seven coliseums you become eligible to enter Mt. Battle."

"Mt. Battle? What's that?" Misty was intrigued about this now, Ash had 3 badge things so he only needed one more.

"Basically there are 10 tiers, each has a specific Pokémon type, and there are 10 trainers per tier."

Misty gasped, "That's over a hundred battles!" Misty exclaimed.

"Trust me Misty if you think that's tough wait till you hear this, Once you start a tier, you have to battle all 10 trainers back to back or you won't qualify for the next tier. So you can't take your Pokemon to Nurse Joy. You have to keep battling."

Misty shook her head in amazement. "And you're trying to participate for this thing! I thought you didn't have any Pokemon?"

Ash took the rice off the burner, and pulled the chicken out from the oven. Getting 4 plates down from the cupboard he placed a portion of rice and a piece of chicken on each and set them around the table.

"I'll answer that in a sec, I need to go wake up mom. "Okay?"

"Okay,"

Ash hurried upstairs and woke his mom and brought her down stairs. Once she sat down Ash gave Pikachu his plate, he took the last bottle of ketchup from the fridge and placed it next Pikachu.

He placed a plate in front of Misty and his mom before sitting down himself. He then went on to inform his mom on what Misty and him had been discussing. Delia gasped at what her son had told her.

"Honey, that's quiet the challenge are you sure your up for it?"

Ash couldn't help it, for old times and, his moms and Misty sake he puffed out his chest and stuck his nose in the air. With a smirk he said "Well of course I am! I'm Ash Ketchum after all, former Pokemon League champion and soon to be Pokemon Master! No challenge is too great for me!" He exclaimed.

Misty and Delia burst into giggles at the all too familiar expression Ash had just done. It had brought back so many memories of his over confidence and his big ego.

Smiling, Ash let the giggling end before he started the topic again. "And that's where Misty and I left off, how could I participate without any Pokemon right?" Pikachus ears perked up, he wanted to hear this as well. "Well since I couldn't return to pick up any of my Pok-" Misty interrupted him.

"Um Ash? Why couldn't you come back?" Ashs face drained of color. This was the question he didn't want to answer quite yet, but it was the factor that tied into all the other question he would be asked. He opened his mouth to reply but no sound came out.

Delia looked at him worriedly, this was the first time since he's been with them that he hadn't spoken immediately, and the expression on his face showed that this was uncomfortable for him.

"Honey?" No reply, "Honey?" Delia leaned across the table and gave him a shake.

"Huh?" Ash as said as he was roused from his thoughts. "O-o s-sorry, Misty ill answer that tomorrow. Not tonight, we don't need to talk about that tonight."

"What happened Ash?" Ash turned to her and stared her directly in the eye. Misty could see that the look in his eyes were begging her to drop it," "Sorry Ash, I didn't mea-" he stopped her,

"Its okay Misty, you'll find out tomorrow, I just don't want to have to tell it twice okay?" Misty nodded.

They sat in silence until Ash recollected his thoughts, and continued his story. "Well I didn't have any Pokemon with me, I had to figure out where I could find one. And then I was in Johto when it hit me."

Ash reached for his belt and took off a pokeball, showing it to the two girls. "It took a while for me to get there because I was on foot. But when I got there, I met up with an old friend," Ash drifted into thought as he remembered what happened.

"Who Ash?"

Ash smiled at the two of them and simply said. "Charizard!"

Misty and Delias jaw dropped! "W-What! You went back to the Charific Valley? We heard Charizard ran away!" Misty exclaimed! They had been so worried two years ago when Charizard disappeared.

"Liza said Charizard took off one night and never came back!" Delia hadn't said a thing, she was still in shock.

"Well not exactly, Charizard had watched the attack at the league on TV; he had been depressed ever since it came back from the lab to see if I was okay. When he had gone back to the Valley it wasn't training as hard, and was often alone. And this went on for a while, until I showed up."

"I showed up one day tired, bruised and had cuts all over my body. When I reached the gates Liza didn't recognize me."

"It took some convincing, but when she didn't believe I was Ash I reminded her what happened when we first arrived there and dropped Charizard off. She let me in, and the first thing I had to do was see Charizard, he was by himself in one of the caves, when he saw me come in, he thought I was a stranger, so he torched me with a flamethrower."

Ash began to laugh quietly at the memory. "And when I laughed, and said '_It's nice to see you to Charizard' _Charizard couldn't believe it was me. And well, after we reunited I told Liza about everything that happened and begged her not to tell anyone. And then I asked Charizard to come with me, and he more than willingly agreed."

"There's more to the story, but nothing really important."

"After you got Charizard did you go straight to Orre?"

"No, I did a lot before going there, but those stories can wait, but we got fairly side tracked didn't we, back to the original question," he picked up the Pokedex from the table. "When I arrived in Orre, I went the 'Pokemon HQ' to get a Pokedex, and when your new to that region they ask your name..." He trailed off and started giggling, which Misty and Delia thought was strange. "What did you tell them?"

Ash looked at them grinning, "Well you see, I knew I couldn't use my name, so I had to think of a new one. I didn't want it to be to different. So I named myself Shay Flasoda!" He proclaimed giggling even more.

"Where did you think of that?" Misty asked obviously confused by his choice.

"Well move the 'A' in front of the 'S,' and you get Ashy." The corner of Delias lips began to tilt upward. Misty then asked "What about your last name?"

"Well I thought I was rather genius with that name. At the time, I was drinking a soda, and I was on the spot and needed something. I realized that the soda was little flat. So I slurred 'Flat soda' together to get Flasoda!" Ash exclaimed proudly.

Misty stared at him incredulously. But she couldn't help but have the smile break out onto her face, before she started to laugh. Delia joined in and Pikachu just stared at Ash as he put his Pokedex into his back pocket.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As the dinner went on Ash asked Delia and Misty about things that had happened while he was gone. After more small talk, Ash took and cleaned their dishes after they had finished dinner. Delia offered to due them, but Ash reminded her about what he had said before.

Misty, Pikachu, and Delia sat on the couch and watched TV while, Ash did the dishes and made the beds. After a while, Ash came down stairs and picked up his bag, and slung it over his shoulder. He cleared his throat to get the two girls attention.

Turning their head to look at him, they noticed it looked like he was going to leave. "Honey? Why do you have your bag? Where are you going?" Delia asked panic creeping into her voice; she had just gotten her son back and didn't want him to leave the house.

"I can't sleep here tonight. I've got a few things to do and its best if I leave and you don't see me till tomorrow," Ash said this very calmly.

Delias was shocked, her baby had just come home, and she had been having the best day she's had in years. And now here was saying that he had to leave right when he gets back. She couldn't help the tears welling up in her eyes.

Ash noticed that immediately and rushed over to his moms side and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't cry mom, I've got errands to run and by the time I get back you both would have been asleep by the time I got in anyway. And I've got to leave early in the morning as well, for the hair cut."

"B-But where will you stay? What do you have to do?" She stammered, forcing the tears to remain where they were.

"I've got a small campsite outside of town." He said quietly.

Delia eyes opened in horror! "But last time you were out there you almost froze to death! Ash please don't go!" The tears broke through.

Ash held her tighter than before, "I know you don't like this, but I've got to do this before tomorrow, or else what I'm planning at the lab won't work," Delia held him tighter she wouldn't let him go.

Misty who had been watching this entire time was a little shocked that Ash said he was going to leave. As much as she didn't want him to go either, she had to admit she was curious at what Ash had planned. She decided to say something. "Ash do you need to leave this minute?"

Ash looked at her then at the clock. It read 9:30PM, "No, but I can only stay maybe another half hour. But then I need to really go,"

"Well why don't you spend that time with your mom and then get going?" Ash gave her a sincere smile.

"How about it mom?" He asked softly looking back at his mom who still held him tightly.

Delia slowly loosened the grip she had on her son and looked into his eyes. "You promise we'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course you will, and when you do, boy are you going to be surprised."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that," she half joked.

"So will you let me go?" He asked gently as she loosened her grip even more.

"I-I suppose I don't have a choice do I?" Ashs toothy smile came back and that instantly made Delia flash a small smile back.

Ash hugged her again and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Ill see you tomorrow alright?"

(Sigh)" I guess so,"

Ash smiled and looked to Pikachu, "Pikachu you take care of these two okay?" Pikachu hopped up into his arms and snuggled into his chest. Chuckling Ash took that as a yes.

He looked at Misty, "I'll see you tomorrow as well right?" He asked her softly.

"Of course Ash," that's all she could get out.

Ash got up from his moms arms and walked over and unlocked the door. Smiling he gave a wave, and said "See you three tomorrow, and when you first see me don't say anything. You'll know when to tho." And with that he opened the door and left into the night.

Misty, Delia, and Pikachu watched him go. The house seemed to go quiet as soon as he stepped out the door. They knew that they would see him tomorrow.

"He sure was calm, about all this," Misty said quietly.

"I know it was rather strange, but he's matured quite a lot hasn't he?" Delia spoke as she stared at the door hoping Ash would come back.

"He sure has" Misty replied softly just above a whisper.

The three drifted into silence unsure of what to do. "Maybe we should go to sleep? We'll see him sooner that way," Misty suggested, she was aware that now that Ash was gone she didn't know what to do.

"We'll…I don't know should we?" Delia asked she was still upset that Ash left, but she couldn't help but feel uncertain about what to do.

"Pika Pikapi chu pikachu chu pi!" Pikachu said as it made its way upstairs.

"I think Pikachu agrees with that!" Misty giggled.

"I guess so,"

Delia and Misty followed Pikachu upstairs and changed into their pajamas, saying goodnight they went to their separate rooms and began to slowly drift off into sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Misty, Misty wake of dear, we slept in late we got to get going!" Whispered Delia as she tried to wake up the sleeping red head.

"Five more minutes," Delia smiled but they were actually getting short on time.

Delia grabbed Misty by the shoulders and shook her awake. "Come on Misty we have to get to the lab like Ash told us remember," Misty sat straight up as Delia said that.

"What time is it?" Misty exclaimed as she got out of bed. "Just after 1!" So hurry and shower and let's get going!" Delia said as she left the room to go down stairs. Misty grabbed a pair of cloths and ran into the bathroom.

After a five minute shower, she got changed into her usual outfit and headed downstairs. "Hey Mrs. K any time for a quick breakfast?"

"Sure Misty just nothing to big, we got to get out of here before Brock arrives,"

"Right!" Misty headed to the kitchen and made herself a quick sandwich.

Eating quickly she ran upstairs and brushed her teeth, going to her room she slipped on her shoes and ran downstairs. Delia was waiting by the door with Pikachu in her arms. "Ready?"

"Yup lets go." Once they were outside, Delia taped a note on the door that read:

'_Brock, Misty and I are at the lab. Meet us there-Delia_

Once the note was stuck firmly on the door the trio left to the lab. After a short walk the three were at the entrance to the lab. Delia rang the doorbell, after a few moments the door opened. Standing in the door was Tracey.

`Hi there Mrs. Ketchum, hey there Misty what brings you two up here today?"

"Oh uh, Pikachu wanted to uh, come and see the other Pokemon, so we decided to tag along,"

"Okay great come on in," Delia, and Misty entered the spacious lab. They were in the waiting room. Tracey led them through the lab into the Pokemon Habitat, Pikachu popped out of Delias arms and onto the ground. Looking around it ran over to a group of Ashs Pokemon by the pond and started chatting with them. Misty hoped Pikachu wouldn't bring Ash up, mostly because it would cause excitement amongst the Pokemon which would be noticed immediately.

"Would you two like some coffee or a cup of tea?" Tracey asked the girls.

Thank you Tracey I'd love some," Delia said. "I'm okay Tracey, I don't have much of a an appetite right now." With that the two girls went back into the waiting room, while Tracey departed to fetch Delia her tea.

When he was out of ear shot Misty brought up what was on her mind. "Mrs. K how will Ash know when Brock gets here?" Making sure to keep her voice low. "I'm not sure Misty, but I don't know why but i'm nervous," Delia whispered

"I know how you feel Mrs. K, my hearts beating faster than usual right now!"

Before Delia could answer, Tracey came back in with a cup of tea for Delia. "Thanks Tracey, it smells really good!" She said giving him a smile.

"No proble-" He was cut off by the doorbell.

"Oh that must be Brock!" Delia said cheerfully!

Before they could get to the door Pikachu bounded into the room. "Brocks here Pikachu were going to go get him, come with us!" Misty said picking up the little Pokemon. As Misty said this Pikachus ears shot up.

The four went to the door, opening it there stood the spiky haired breeder. "Hey guys it's great to see you guys again!" Brock said cheerfully! After the group exchanged hellos they made their way back into the waiting room.

"So how have you guys been?" Brock asked.

"We've been fine dear, we came up to the lab so Pikachu could go see Ashs Pokemon," The room silenced at the mention of Ash. It felt strange for Misty and Delia, they knew Ash was fine and that he'd be there shortly.

Pikachu broke the silence. "Pi Pikachu" Pikachu very lightly tapped Misty with its tale and motioned towards the research room.

"Oh that's right! We still need to go say hi to the Professor; he'd be in the _research room_ right Tracey?" Misty asked, as subtly as she could emphasized 'research room, so that no one but Delia would notice.

"Oh yes lets go say hi to the Professor," Delia said cheerfully going along with Misty, but couldn't help a glance at the front door.

As they went down the hallway, and into the research room, Pikachu hopped out of Mistys arms and bolted away. "Pikachu where…" She trailed off as Pikachu disappeared out of sight.

"Where's Pikachu going?" Brock asked as they made their way over to where Prof. Oak was working.

"No clue?" Misty said, but she had a feeling she did know.

"Hey Prof. Oak," Tracey called out.

Prof. Oak look over his shoulder, and saw the group of people walking towards him. Getting up from his desk he turned around to greet them. "Hello there everyone, Brock it's nice to see you again,"

"You too Professor," Brock replied. The group drifted into small talk for a couple minutes. But stopped when they heard a laugh come from the hallway.

Everyone's eyes turned to the empty doorway. After a moment, coming into view was Pikachu walking slowly through the door, followed shortly after by a bleached haired boy, with blue eyes. Beside him was a short orange dog, '_a Growlithe'_ Misty thought. Mistys and Delias eyes widened and mouth dropped open when they saw him.

He was wearing a white V Neck t-shirt, light blue jeans, clean white sneakers, no hat, and slung on his back there was a black backpack. His white-ish hair was slightly messy, the bangs were drawn down to one side, covering one of his blue eyes and leaving the other completely visible.

Smiling he greeted them. "Hello everyone," his voice was rather cheerful.

"Hello their young man, what can we do for you?" Prof. Oak asked slightly puzzled.

"I'm sorry for just coming in here. I was knocking on the door and this little Pikachu opened up. I asked him if Prof. Oak was here and he motioned for me to follow him," He was still smiling as he said this.

"Oh its fine, what can I help you with..." Prof. Oak trailed off not knowing the boys name.

"Call me Shay, Shay Flasoda," The corner of Delias mouth twitched upward as he said his last name.

"Well Shay it's nice to meet you, this is Tracey Sketchit, Misty Waterflower, Brock Slate, and Delia Ketchum, and I'm Prof. Oak," said motioning to the others in the room including himself.

"It's a pleasure meeting you all" Shay said giving them a nod in greeting.

"So what can I help you with?" Prof. Oak asked.

Shay walked up and pulled his Pokedex out of his back pocket. "It's been awhile since I've had my Pokedex updated, so I was hoping you would be able to help me with that?" Shay asked.

"No problem, just come over here and let me get the machine ready," Shay nodded and followed him up to a large monitor, his Growlithe at his side.

Misty and Delia watched this completely interested. Ash still hadn't told them who he was, so they were curious on how he was going to do it. The professor typed something into the machine, "Okay if you slip your pokedex into that slot over there we can get this started,"

"Sure thing,"

Shay walked over to where there was a slit on a control panel, and slid his Pokedex into it. The large screen behind them lit up with a white loading bar. Slowly the white bar began to fill with green as the Pokedexes information was processed.

After a minute or two the bar was completely green. Replacing the bar was a picture of Shay, and his name.

The room gasped at what they saw.

The monitor said aloud,

"_This Pokedex belongs to 17 year old Ashton J. Ketchum"_

All eyes turned to Ash.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh damn. Cliffhanger! Well what do you think? I loved writing the part with Pikachu waiting out side the bathroom, i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did. I'm still working on how the next chapters going to play out, i have a few ideas but it will take awhile for them to be sorted out. Oh and who's Ashs third Pokemon? Take a few guesses, you probably wont get it. But any way Please read and Review it would mean a lot to me. <strong>

**Once again, Thanks so much for reading.** _**ThatOneDwarf, Signing off.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Well hello once again everyone. Are you Ready for a 2 Part Series of Chapters! I'm not! Part two is still being worked on... The reason I am making this a two part, is because i had 38 pages in Microsoft word, and it felt rather long. But know fear, this leads directly into Part two! And sorry for the long upload time, its taken me quiet awhile**_ **_ to make sure that everything flows well. Beginning is a little slow i find, but it gets a lot better later on. _**

* * *

><p>All but two of the assembled group stood in shock and horror at what they had just heard. The boy for whom they had thought had been dead for four years was apparently standing in front of them with his back turned to them.<p>

Ash waited for the Pokedex to be ejected from the slot it was currently in before turning around. With a _click_, it slid out of the slot and Ash replaced it into his back pocket. Turning around he did not have the smile that had been etched onto his face before, his face now showed no signs of emotion.

The room was silent; Ash mentally told himself repeatedly he would not be the one to break it. Lucky for Ash, Pikachu broke the silence for him. Pikachu ran across the lab and hopped onto Ashs shoulder with a happy "Pikapi!"

Brock stood like he had seen a ghost, he was unnaturally pale, with his jaw dropped down. Brock wanted this to be true, but it just didn't seem right. Why after all this time would Ash suddenly come back? And he's acting so nonchalantly about this.

Brock very slowly moved his eyes around the room, not moving his head as he did so. Tracey, was stricken still, his eyes were wide with too many emotions to count. Prof. Oak stared in disbelieve his arms hung loosely at his side and his mouth was slightly open. Misty and Delia however, they were slightly perplexed, but other than that they were fine.

And that's what threw Brock off, he knew Misty had feelings for and Ash and he was her best friend. Brock couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't broken down at this sudden revelation. But Delia surprised Brock the most, she had taken it the hardest when Ash had disappeared, and she stood there like she had seen him only yesterday!

Unfortunately for Brock, anger seemed to take a hold of him, the fact that some blond kid walks in here, gives them a possible fake name, then slaps them in the face when his Pokedex says his names Ash Ketchum, just didn't sit well with him.

The silence that followed Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder was broken by Brock, "Just who the hell do you think you are?" He asked incredulously! Ash stood there, his emotionless gaze on Brock, he didn't say anything. That just infuriated Brock even more; Brock clenched his fist and made his way over to Ash.

Ash didn't seem the least bit phased by this. "Brock calm down! It really is Ash!" Misty yelled at the infuriated breeder, Misty had no clue why Brock was so angry, she would have thought that he would have been one of the happiest to find that his best friend was alive.

Ash just held up a hand toward Misty motioning her to not speak, Misty obliged, but couldn't help but feel a little scared for Ash.

Brock walked up to Ash and gripped his shirt with both hands, knocking Pikachu off his shoulder. "Who the hell do you think you are coming in here, telling us that your Ash Ketchum, how on Earth to you expect us to believe that!" he spat angrily.

Ash still hadn't said anything, but finally he spoke to the angry breeder. "You should know your own friend Brock, but if you want proof I've got plenty of it." Ash said this calmly, not at all intimidated by Brock.

"You show me the slightest bit evidence, and I may believe you," He said it bitterly, and filled with sarcasm.

Ash ignored his tone and spoke, "The only proof I need is standing on the ground behind you, try anything and you will regret it," Ash said nonchalantly looking over Brocks shoulder.

Brock spun around not removing his grip from Ashs shirt, looking on the ground he saw Pikachu, sparks shooting sparks from his cheeks, with its fur standing on edge, growling. But beside Pikachu was the Growlithe that had come in with it, standing ready in an attacking stance, baring its fangs and glaring at him menacingly.

Brock looked from Pikachu to Ash, his eyes still burned with anger. But deep down, he knew that this person was Ash. Very slowly he released his grip from Ashs shirt; he looked deeply into Ashs blue eyes, looking for the smidge of evidence that proved he was lying. But there was none.

"Why didn't you comeback, four years you put us through, four years of hell. And now you come back and your acting like you've been gone a day! What the hell is wrong with you?" He furiously whispered this at Ash so the others couldn't here.

"Brock you want the answers? That's why I'm here. It is me, and once you calm down you _will _understand. Do you hear me?" Ash whispered calmly, he knew Brock was upset. He was taking it like a big brother would if he found out that the little brother who had run away was finally back after years of being apart.

Brock was to overcome by emotions right now, he was happy that Ash was back of course, but the anger was still in him. Ash was here in front of him telling him that he would understand if he calmed down. What Ash said next surprised him.

"If you're angry at me, feel free to take a swing at me to get it out. The sooner you calm down the sooner I get to answer your questions," Ash said this so calmly, it was like he had said it every day of his life.

Brock stared at him incredulously, here was Ash Ketchum his best friend telling him to punch him if it made him feel better. He didn't do that, he did the opposite.

Brock lunged forward and took Ash into a massive bear hug, tears pouring down his face. Ash tried to get his arms free to return the hug, but couldn't free himself from Brock's strong grip. After a minute, Ash began to turn a little blue, "Br-ock! Cho-ing Me-h!" Ash choked out, as the little air left in him was being forced out of his lungs.

Brock finally released him from the crushing hug. Ash took a moment to regain his breath. Finally recomposed, Ash put his hand on Brock's shoulder and gave it firm squeeze. "It's great to see you again Brock," Ash said before taking Brock into a hug of his own, but know where near as suffocating as the one Brock had pulled him into.

Ash pulled him out of the hug, "You gonna be okay?" He asked. Brock nodded, "My offer still stands, you sure you don't want to give me a right hook?"

Brock chuckled, "I'll pass for now, but if you don't give us some good answers for you not being here, I might just take you up on that," Brock chuckled. Ashs smile dimmed as he said that.

Ash gave Brock a pat on the back before making his way over to Prof. Oak. "Professor, it's great to see you agai-" He was cut off as Prof. Oak yanked him into a hug much like Brocks, but not nearly as strong.

"It's more than good to see you too my boy! You've had us worried sick! And don't you worry about your Pokemon; they've been taken care of to the best of my abilities!" Prof. Oak cried out as he held a baffled Ash.

Prof. Oak released him from the hug beaming at Ash. Smiling Ash held out his hand for the ecstatic Professor. Prof. Oak took the hand and shook it enthusiastically. Smiling Ash turned to Tracey.

"Hey there Tracey, it's been a while hasn't it?" Ash said grinning as he took the Pokemon watcher into a hug. Grinning, Tracey gladly reciprocated the hug.

"Boy do I have some questions for you!" Tracey exclaimed!

Ash let out a laugh. "I'm sure you do, but before I answer any questions, there's one thing left I have to do," Ash said his smile fading slightly.

"What's that Ash?" Misty asked.

Ash turned to the Professor. "Professor, I need you to round up my Pokemon, it's about time I say hello to them,"

Prof. Oak nodded seriously, "Don't mention me-" Ash stopped as he realized he forgot something important. "Brock, Tracey, Professor," Ash said seriously. "By no means can you let anyone know I've been here. And I mean no one!" His voice was calm but he was dead serious about this.

"Why Ash?" Brock asked confused, he would have thought that Ash would have wanted to celebrate his return.

"I've already informed Misty and my mom a little about that, I told them that I would tell them today and I plan on it. You will know soon enough, but you can't let word get out that I've been in Pallet,"

"But for now I need to go see my Pokemon. They have to hear about what's happened and why I haven't been around," Ash looked around the group, seeing that they all understood, "Prof. Oak could you please get my Pokemon now?"

"Sure Ash," he said taking off out the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After a couple minutes the Professor had rounded up all of Ashs Pokemon. Misty, Brock, Tracey, Delia, and Prof. Oak stood with them. Ash and Pikachu remained inside until all the Pokemon had assembled.

The Pokemon hadn't been informed on what was going on, and what surprised them was that Pikachu wasn't here with them. They waited in silence, until the door to the laboratory creaked opened and out walked a boy with white hair and Pikachu on his shoulder.

The Pokemon began to chatter amongst themselves as the boy drew closer. Once he was in front of them he knelt down onto one knee and gave them a smile they hadn't seen in years. They stared in disbelieve. "Hey everyone," he said softly. "It's great to see you all again, I-I missed you all so much," as he said it his voice wavered. Ash tried with all his might to not let a tear break through. Unfortunately for him, it didn't happen.

The Pokemon stared in shock, he was back. He was actually back. Despite the difference in appearance, they knew that voice anywhere, they knew that smile anywhere.

It all happened in a flash. Ash had been kneeling in front of his Pokemon, next thing he knew he was on the ground being squashed by the excited Pokemon who tackled him in pure happiness.

The group of people watched the seen in front of them in silence, there were tears of happiness in their eyes as they watched the sweet scene unfold. Ash was rolling on the ground laughing with tears in his eyes as he was hugged, by all the Pokemon on top of him.

Finally after the reunion had almost finished, Ash reached for his belt and brought out a Pokeball. "It wouldn't be a proper reunion without the other guy who disappeared now would it?" Ash asked smiling, tears still in his eyes. The Pokemon looked at him curiously.

"Come on out buddy!" Ash called out as he tossed the Pokeball into the air. The Pokeball burst open into a beam of red light. Once the light from the Pokeball had vanished, in its place stood Charizard.

The Pokemon rushed over to Charizard and greeted it enthusiastically. After all the hellos were said, it was time for Ash to get down to business. Ash brought back on the calm demeanor, but made sure to leave his smile on for the benefit of his Pokemon. "Everyone?" He called out softly. All eyes including the group of people turned to Ash.

"I'm so excited to see you again, but you need to know what happened. And where I've been for the last few years," The Pokemon went quiet, they were so happy Ash was back but they couldn't help but wonder why there friend had disappeared like he did.

Ash turned to the professor. "Professor, is there a room that all of us could fit in, Pokemon too they need to hear this as well."

Misty noticed he had his calm expression back on so she knew this was the time to be serious. "Sure Ash if we all head over to the research room, we should all be able to fit in there,"

"Thanks Prof. Oak," Ash said with a nod.

Once the large group assembled in the research room, Misty, Delia, Brock, Tracey, And the Professor sat on the couch, while Ash sat on a stool. The Pokemon formed a half circle around Ash so they could hear what he had to say. Charizard came up behind Ash and moved slightly to his right before he started retelling the events.

Ash looked up to his old friend and smiled, "Thanks Charizard," Ash said quietly. Charizard looked at him and nodded with a grunt in return. He had already been told of what happened to Ash. Ash had told him the day he had returned to the Charific Valley to get him. And he knew Ash was going to need support through this.

Ash shrugged his back pack off his back and undid one of the zippers. Reaching inside he pulled out a clear plastic water bottle. Undoing the cap he took a quick sip and replaced the cap before setting it on the ground next to him.

The room was quiet as Ash gathered his thoughts together, this was going to be hard for him to talk about, but he knew he had to get it all out.

After a few moments of silence, Ash finally broke the silence by clearing his throat. "I'm not really sure where to start; I could start with what I told mom and Misty yesterday. And then go off into the…More important things I suppose?" Ash said this calmly, but as he said it they could tell he was uncertain.

"Why don't you start at the beginning, after the attack hit?" Brock asked softly. Ash looked up to Brock, after a moment of gathering his thoughts he began to speak.

"Brock, I honestly don't know what happened. When I tackled Goodshow off the podium, I was blown back a few feet. When I finally got up, I noticed Pikachu wasn't on my shoulder; I went to look for him. I went maybe five feet before an explosion hit and sent me flying into something. After that it all goes dark, I was knocked unconscious." Ash said this calmly; this was nowhere near the hardest part of the talk.

"That's it? You get up and then you get hit by another explosion, then you're out cold?" Brock asked in disbelief.

"Well, that was it until I regained consciousness," Ash stated simply.

"What happened when you woke up Ash?" Prof. Oak asked.

"Well…" Ash began.

_**[Flash Back]**_

Ash was on the ground leaning unconsciously against a small crate. Slowly he began to stir, moaning once as he winced when a sharp pain coursed through his left arm. Slowly he opened his eyes; his vision was blurry and he couldn't make anything out. "Where am I?" He moaned quietly. He tried to stand up, but stopped when he noticed his hands and feet were bound together with rope. "Hello?" he called out, his voice was wavering. There was no answer.

"Hello?" He called out louder this time; he stopped when a wave of nausea hit him. Ash took several deep breaths as the nausea slowly went away. "Where am I?" He asked himself, as his vision began to clear.

Ash looked up as he heard footsteps approaching him. The man who approached him was dressed in black sweat pants, that were tucked into grey knee high length boots, brown hair, a black hat, and a black shirt with a red letter 'R' on the front of it.

Before Ash could say something, the man turned his head and called out behind him. "Hey boys! The kid's finally awake, get the Boss on the phone then come check em out!" The man exclaimed as he turned back to Ash.

Ash coughed before talking, "Team Rocket? What the hell is going on, where am I?" Ash shouted angrily, but stopped as another wave of nausea hit him. The Rocket laughed as he watched Ash, squirm on the ground as he tried to free himself.

Ash was still squirming as two more Rockets came into the room Ash was in, one was blond and the other had black hair. Both wore the same outfit the first Rocket had on. "Look at this guy! He's a feisty one isn't he?" The brown haired Grunt laughed as he not so gently nudged Ash with his boot.

"Just you wait till I get out of here! You'll wish you had never been born!" Ash shouted as he continued to struggle against the tight ropes.

The blond haired Grunt barked out a laugh at the struggling Ash, "Maybe we should give our VIP guest here a little something to relax, huh?" The Grunts burst into laughter as the black haired Grunt had a dangerous smirk break out onto his face.

The Grunt reached into his pocket and took out a syringe. Ashs eyes shot wide open, and he paled as he saw needle. Ash squirmed as far back as he could away from the needle, that only made the Grunts laugh louder at the frightened Ash.

The black haired Grunt stepped up to Ash, "Hold em down boys, we don't need any _accidents_ happening here do we?" The two Grunts, still chuckling gripped Ash by the arms tightly. Ash let out a cry of pain as his left arm was grabbed. The black haired Grunt came up to Ash, and not so gently stuck the needle into Ashs arm, his left one at that.

Ash gasped in pain as the syringe was forced into his arm. Once whatever he had been injected with was in him the Grunt pulled it out and watched as Ash slowly drifted into unconsciousness once again.

"When do we get to HQ?" The blond asked.

"10 minutes then we got to get sleepy here," he jerked a thumb at Ash, "Off the chopper and into base." The brown haired Grunt answered as they left the room, locking the door behind them.

_**[End Flash Back]**_

The room was silent as Ash finished telling the story. Ash looked up from the ground, which he had been staring at when he had told the story. Looking around the room at the assembled group of people, and Pokemon, he could see the shock on their faces.

"H-Honey. Did that actually happen?" Delia asked in disbelief.

"Yes mom," Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he spoke his voice shook a bit, and he stammered a little at what he said next. Opening his eyes he said, "That was just the beginning. What happened next, mom you may not want to here," Delia paled at that, she didn't know what Ash had gone through. But if it was something he knew she wouldn't want to hear she wanted to believe it.

But she had to find out. "I-I'll stay honey." That's all she could get out before losing her voice.

"All right," He said it calmly with a quick nod of his head.

"When I regained consciousness…" He began.

_**[Flashback]**_

Ash felt a painful pounding in his head. Ash tried to move his arms to hold it, but his arms were stuck. Slowly opening his eyes, he could see that his hands were tied to the arms of a chair. Ash tried to remember where he was. After a minute, he forgot the pain in his head, as he remembered where he was. He tried to loosen the ropes with all his strength, but he was no match for the rope.

Ash looked around the room he was in. The room was fairly small. He was seated in front of a large wooden desk, which took up most of the space in the room. Behind it was a large black leather chair. On the wall behind the desk there was a large black screen. The rest of the room was empty, except for the two large oak doors that were behind him.

"What's happening?" Ash asked himself despairingly as a tear rolled down his cheek. His head snapped around as he heard the door behind him open. Walking in were three people, two of which Ash recognized as Rocket Grunts. The other was tall and had short brown hair, which was combed back; he had on an orange suit, and walked with a Persian by his side. Ashs jaw dropped as he recognized the figure.

"Giovanni!" Ash whispered in awe. As the Team Rocket boss walked around the desk and sat down in the chair in front of Ash.

"Heard of me have you?" Giovanni asked kindly. Ash was baffled by the Rocket bosses tone. "I'm guessing you want to know where you are and why you're here?" he asked getting straight to the point.

"I-I do, what do you want with me. I know you want my Pikachu bu-"Ash was stammering, but was cut off by Giovanni.

"I never had any intentions of taking that Pikachu of yours. I'm more interested in you!" he said it calmly. This frightened Ash, what would Team rocket want with him? Unless.

"Is this because of Jessie, James and Meowth? Is that why I'm here!" Ash blurted out!

Giovanni scowled. "No you're not here because of those three idiots. You're here because you could be a valuable member to Team Rocket." Ash paled, they wanted HIM to join Team Rocket? No way!

"I'd never join you! I'd rather die before becoming scum like you!" Ash spat bitterly. Giovanni had a dangerous smirk come across his face.

"Well, that can be arranged. But maybe you'd like to hear me out first, before you make your decision?" He asked calmly. His calm demeanor was starting to scare Ash, but he was determined not to back down.

"Let me repeat myself, I would rather die than join you. I know how you treat your Pokemon, you treat them as weapons, as tools to get whatever you want. That's not how it works, you have to believe in them, to be friend them to get their full potential!" Ash shouted angrily!

Giovanni sighed, "We do what we do for the greater good. We-" He was cut off by a sarcastic bark of laughter from Ash. The next thing Ash knew was he felt something grip the back of his head and slam it into the desk in front of him.

"Interrupt me again and you will get much worse than that! Release him," Giovanni stated coolly. The Grunt released the hand from the back of Ashs head.

Ash took a second to recover. "Are you going to listen?" Giovanni asked a little agitated; he was not a patient person. Ash nodded.

"You will join us, whether you like it or not," as he said this he picked up a remote from the desk and clicked a button. The screen behind him lit up with pictures of all Ashs friends and family.

Ash looked at the screen in disbelief. "You will join us or each of the people you see here will be in for a surprise. We have many ideas that will get you to join us. We could simply kill a few of them, or we could capture one and torture them while you watch, it really makes no difference to me,"

Ashs face had horror showing all over it, his voice was shaky. "Y-Y-Your b-b-bluffing! You-You wouldn't dare!" His voice was just above a whisper, he barely managed to choke it out.

Giovanni smiled, he was close to breaking the boy. It was time to reel him in. "I never 'bluff' as you put it, but if you aren't intimidated, we have other ways of getting you to join," There's no other way to put it, Ash saw an evil grin spread over Giovanni's face.

Ashs heart was hammering in his chest, the look on Giovanni's face sent chills down his spine.

"You two!" Giovanni said looking at the Grunts. "Take the boy and you know what to do. But keep him alive!" he said sternly.

The Grunts nodded and went to untie Ash. As soon as the right rope that had been holding him strapped to the chair was loose, he yanked his hand out from under it and threw a wild right hook at the nearest Grunt.

The Grunt narrowly avoided the swing. Ducking, he leapt back up and swung a jab into Ashs jaw. Ash winced in pain. The Grunts grabbed Ashs arms and twisted them behind his back. Forcing him through the door they had entered.

_**[Pause Flash Back]**_

Ash was constantly running his hands through his blond hair as he retold the story. He was taking deep breaths to keep himself calm. The room was silent as they watched the troubled boy.

"Where did they take you Ash?" Misty asked her voice was uneasy. She was not sure she wanted to hear it. The thought that they threatened Ash by saying they would kill Ashs friends and family in front of him was a shocking one. Ash had only been 13 when the attack had happened.

Ash looked up as he remembered, what happened to him, he wasn't very calm, but he just managed to keep his voice even.

"They forced me through the doors; on the outside was a long hallway that branched off into different directions. There were a few Grunts around, but other than that the place was empty."

"We went down the hall and took a left and they brought me into a small room. In the room were two tables beside each other and a Golduck," Ash scowled as he said the Pokemons name.

_**[Flash Back Continued]**_

"Let go of me!" Shouted Ash at the two Grunts.

"Golduck! On the table now!" yelled one of the Grunts. The Golduck rushed over to the smaller of the two tables and jumped up.

Ash was winded as a Grunt threw a strong punch into his stomach. As Ash was gasping to recover his breath, the two Grunts lifted him onto the table and strapped his arms and legs down.

Ash squirmed as much as he could, but he was constricted to the table. "What are you going to do to me?" He asked panic and fear filling his voice as one of the Grunts pulled out a cloth.

"Here's how it works kid, we stop when you join! Got it?" There was no hint of sympathy or kindness in his voice as he draped the cloth around Ashs nose and mouth. The Grunt held the cloth so that it would be securely in place without the need of tying it.

"Better save you breath kid," He said nonchalantly.

"Golduck, use Water Gun," the other Rocket said.

Golduck opened its mouth and shot a jet of water at Ashs covered mouth and nose. Ash was squirming on the table; the water was restricting the air flow to his lungs. They were drowning him. After 10 seconds the Grunt signaled Golduck to stop the attack, quickly pulling the cloth off, Ash gasped for air. His chest was heaving in an out as he took in as much air as possible.

After four quick deep breaths, the Grunt with the cloth brought it back over Ashs face. The Water Gun began again. They repeated this 5 more times before the Rocket said anything.

Pulling the cloth off Ashs face, he asked "You ready to join yet?"

Ash was still gasping for air, and coughing up water. Between breaths he said, "Go…To...Hell!"

"Fine by me!" With that the Grunt placed the cloth over Ashs face and began the process again.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Giovanni sat in the leather chair behind his desk. It had been two hours since the boy had left. He couldn't help but wonder how long he could keep going for. But his answer came soon enough.

There was a rapid series of sharp knocks on the large doors. "Get in here!" Giovanni shouted.

The Grunt who had left with the boy came through the door with a smirk on his face. "He caved Boss!"

"Good bring him in!"

"Right away!" The Grunt said before hurrying out of the room. As he left, Giovanni had a menacing smirk on his face.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash was gasping for air, his heart was racing, and he was barely hanging on. The Grunts took him off the table, and dragged him back to where he had seen Giovanni before. The Grunts walked through the doors to the small room and dropped him onto the chair, not bothering to tie him down.

Giovanni looked at the soaked boy. "You've decide to take up my offer?" He asked. Ash didn't answer; his breaths were still ragged as he took in air. He felt like he was about to pass out.

"I asked if you have taken my offer. And I would answer if I were you!" Giovanni said calmly.

Ash didn't answer but he gave a tired nod. Giovanni was about to say something, but Ash very slowly cut in. "On…One, (Cough) con-condition,"

Giovanni, raised an eyebrow at Ash. "Oh, and what might that be?"

"You-You don't touch…My friends or family," Ash was on his last reserves of strength as he said that.

"I don't touch your friends and family, and in return you join Team Rocket?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

"Either that…Or (Cough) you might as we-ll k-kill me now." Ash said finally before dropping to the ground unconscious.

_**[End Flashback]**_

Everyone stared in horror at Ash, he was shaking terribly. His breathing was becoming unsteady. But no one knew what to say. Ash felt something on his shoulder. Ash looked up to see Charizard giving him a reassuring look, and his claw on his shoulder.

Ash went into his reserves of strength to stop himself from shaking. Looking at the group, he turned his gaze to Brock. "Is that a good enough reason for me not being here?" He asked bitterly. Brock didn't say anything. None of them did.

The group just stared, tears in their eyes at what Ash had told them. They couldn't believe what Ash had gone through. He had been tortured so that he would give in and join Team Rocket. Ash finally regained control of his voice.

"That's why you cannot let anyone know I've been here. If they knew, they would take you guys until I came back to them. They would kill some of you for payback if they found me," Ashs voice was shaking, but you couldn't miss the anger that filled every syllable he spoke.

"A-Ash?..." Misty's voice was just above a whisper.

"Yeah Mist?" Ash didn't look at her; he continued to stare at the floor.

"What happened to you while you were there?"

Ash looked up at her. "They trained me to be a Rocket," he stated it simply.

"H-How did they train you?" Tracey asked. He was still putting everything Ash had told them together in his mind.

Ash scowled at the question. "Team Rocket is nothing but scum; they use Pokemon to carry out their tasks. But if they fail, they have no problem restoring to murder!" Ash spat in disgust.

Delia gasped in surprise. "Ash h-honey! Are you telling me you-you..." She didn't want to finish it.

"No mom, I didn't. They tried their hardest to get me to tho. When you start training, they train you in one of two types of combat. Melee, or ranged. Melee is standard fighting, blocking, how to throw punches, and submissions."

"The Grunts who train in melee use knives instead of guns. Those who trained in Range combat use guns, Team Rocket are just awful people. In melee fighting you fight against fighting type Pokemon. But you don't use weapons."

"But Rangers, those who train in range combat. Once they learn to hit a still target," Ash paused as he let a few tears escape him. He didn't care, what Team Rocket did was disgusting. But he continued. "After that, they use the older Pokemon, or the sick Pokemon as live targets," he finished

The room paled at that. The Pokemon just stared at Ash, they had no idea he had gone through so much. Ash looked to the group around him; they could see the anger in his eyes.

"You had it rough, I was missing. You thought I was dead, but there was always hope that I'd be back. But I went through hell. I watched as hundreds of Pokemon were killed in cold blooded murder, I was beaten nearly every day, I would have died, if Giovanni hadn't set up a special watch for me." Ash wanted to continue. He had gotten through most of what happened. But there were still important factors he needed to get through.

"I trained in melee combat; they tried to force me into doing range, by trying to torture me again. But I held out. It had been a few months in when I realized my emotions were making it harder for me to be there,"

"What do you mean Ash?" Brock asked. He was hesitant, but they were getting the full story.

"There's a reason I've been so calm about all this, and don't tell me you haven't noticed." Ash looked at the group around him. They nodded in silence so he could continue.

"The first few months I was in training, I didn't treat the Pokemon I trained with like the other Rockets did. If I got hit by a punch, I'd compliment it. Rockets that get hit blind side attack the Pokemon. That's where it began."

"They didn't take a liking on how I trained with my Pokemon. So they decided to teach me a lesson, well actually many lessons." Ash scowled as he recalled the beatings he had taken. "But that wasn't it, even tho I was in tight security. They found out that I usually cried myself to sleep, from the guards outside my room. So they beat me for that!" Ash said bitterly.

"Then one night, I thought about all of you, I realized that I needed to get out of there as soon as I could. But I didn't know how, but I did know that if I didn't get my emotions in check I wouldn't survive there."

"So I hid everything, all my anger, all sadness, the little happiness I had. Everything. Until I got out of there."

"How did you get out Ash? You said you were in tight security so…" Misty trailed off. Even tho she couldn't believe what Ash had gone through, she couldn't help but want to find out on how he had managed to escape.

Ash reached down and picked his bag off the ground, rummaging through it he took out a pair of blue gloves, with yellow stripes that lead to a light blue circle on the back of hands. Brock gaped at those. "A-Ash! Are those…!" He trailed off in disbelief.

"Yup, these are Sir Aarons gloves, once I escaped I took a trip to the Tree of Beginning," Ash said as he passed the gloves to Brock.

"So you used your Aura to break out!" Brock asked incredulously!

"For well over a year I practiced in secret, when the guards thought I was sleeping, I was actually focusing my Aura. And after a while I was able to control it,"

"Umm is that how you, broke out?" Misty asked, Brock had told her about the events Ash, May, Max and he had gone through before Ash had disappeared. She knew a little about the Aura thing, but not much.

For the first time since Ash had started telling them the events that happened, a sly grin spread across his face. "No it wasn't just the Aura that got me out. After I had managed to hide my emotions, the beatings became less frequent. I kept to myself and away from others. Until one day…"

_**[Flashback]**_

Ash waited in the short lineup. He waited it out, so that the crowd could disperse before making his way into the line for the less then appetizing lunch. The cafeteria, if you could call it that, was a large metal room with reinforced iron bar windows. It was more of a prison than anything else. It had rows of black tables with pull out chairs.

Ash grabbed one of the last trays along the wall and went up to the Grunt behind the counter. "Well hello there my Majesty!" He mocked sarcastically as he bowed down to Ash. Ash stared at him with an emotionless expression. Looking up from the bow, the Grunt looked into Ashs eyes. He could read Ashs eyes like a book. That was a bad thing. His eyes were cold and had steel in them. The look in his eyes told him to drop it unless he wanted a fight.

And that was the least he wanted. Ash had supposedly become the top fighter at the Rocket Training Academy. He could easily take down anyone in the building without a sweat. Tearing his gaze away from Ash he took the ladle and scooped what appeared to be a type of chilli onto the tray.

Ash stared at him, but after a second he gave him a slight nod and walked away. He went to the table in the far back corner, it was a dark corner where he would have view over the entire cafeteria. He could spot out the trouble in an instant and be gone before things got out of hand.

Sitting down, he reluctantly took a bite of the chilli. He grimaced at the taste. He'd been there for 5 months and he still hadn't gotten used to the taste of the food they served.

He pushed the chilli away from him and across the table. He loved food, but there was something about the stuff that they served that made him want to throw up.

He leaned back in his chair, and pulled the black cap over his eyes, it was a trick he thought of when saw the Rangers doing their training. They concealed themselves with the shadows, and when they did appear they were half covered by shadows and half illuminated in the light.

The cap shielded his eyes from other people's gazes. Whenever people came around him they could never tell if he was looking at them. It made people tense if they came near him. It worked out for him, they left him alone. And he didn't half to pick a fight. A_ win, win scenario_ he thought. Then with a ghost of a smile, he adjusted his thought '_a win, win scenario for me, they make a wrong move they'll be in the infirmary for a week'._

As much as he loathed himself to admit it, after the beatings he had taken. He had committed himself to getting to the top of the Grunts. All the beatings he had taken had fueled him to perfect offensive and defensive fighting so he could take down those who had brought him so much pain over the last few months.

Ash shifted his gaze around the crowded room, he knew most of the people here, he didn't like any of them, but he knew them. They had all at some point taken a chance to poke at him or to test his nerves since he hadn't retaliated in the last two months.

Ash switched his gaze to the far end of the cafeteria, he noticed something was off. The Grunt, Chris was talking to a girl he had never seen before. Ash knew the Grunts name was Chris, due to the fact he was one of the main Grunts who liked to give him a beating. He had tried to teach himself to read lips, but gave up when he kept getting distracted by the littlest thing.

Ash saw Chris grab her by the shoulder, she shrugged him off. He began to talk to her, putting his left hand low on her back and his right hand went on her arm. Ash stopped leaning and sat up straight as she shrugged him off again, this time more forcibly then before. Ash heard Chris shout something from across the cafeteria, as he pulled the girl out from where she was sitting. She tried to push away but he kept a grip on her.

Over the years of traveling with his friends, Ash had always found himself in the role of the hero. As much as he hated it, he knew he would have to do it again.

Silently getting up from his seat he strolled across the cafeteria. He could feel the eyes pouring into his back; he never got up from where he sat during lunch. Never.

He never spoke, never made any attempt to socialize with others. Not that anyone attempted to socialize with him. But still.

Ash walked over to where Chris was holding the girl forcefully, and stopped a few feet behind him "Let me go! Who do you think you are you freak?" The girl shouted. Ash saw she had long blond hair, blue eyes, a perky nose, slightly taller then him, and was an all-round looker. But he could see what the others couldn't; she had a fight in her.

"Come on beautiful, you ain't gonna miss anything if you come spend some alone time with me!" He said giving her a cocky smirk.

"Let her go Chris." Ash said coldly, calmly and threateningly. The cafeteria silenced and all eyes turned to Ash as he spoke. Chris slowly turned to face Ash, Chris had cinnamon colored hair, brown eyes, freckles and a firm jaw, he had slight muscle on him but other than that he wasn't very impressive.

A smirk crossed his face as he saw Ash. "Well looks like Giovanni's princess has finally arrived!" He proclaimed loudly for the entire room to hear.

"I'll say it again, let her go or else I will make you let her go." His voice was cold; cold and dangerous as he said it. Chris was taken aback by Ash, he had taken the pleasure in beating Ash since he arrived, and not once had Ash stood up for himself.

But now here he is standing up to him, and he wasn't even beating him! But he took this opportunity to humiliate Ash even more. "Oh I'm sorry my Lady, but am I hurting your girlfriend here?"

"Never saw her before in my life, now let her go!" His voice was still as calm as ever as he said this.

"Whadda ya gonna do if I don't? Gonna get big bad ol Giovanni, to knock me down?" He asked laughing, but quickly stopped at what Ash did next.

Ash took a step closer so that he was right in Chris' face, "I don't need him to knock you on your ass! Now let her go!" He growled threateningly.

The room gasped at what Ash said, they knew of Ashs reputation as a fighter, but few have actually seen him fight, including Chris.

Chris shoved the girl to the floor and got into a fighting stance, raising his fists in front of him. Ash snorted as he took a step back, he folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow at Chris. The crowd looked at Ash incredulously, he was so calm right before a fight, and he looked at Chris as if he was joking. That only resulted in Chris getting angrier.

Chris swung a powerful right at Ash, Ash easily side stepped it and Chris was thrown forward by the momentum of the swing. Ash chuckled as Chris lost his balance. The crowds jaw dropped when they heard Ash laughing.

Chris grew infuriated; once he regained his balance he ran at Ash and swung madly at him. Ash dodged them all easily without breaking a sweat. Chris was out of breath as his punches grew slower and weaker. Ash laughed as he continued to dodge the weak attempt at an attack.

Ash took a step back which let Chris regain his breath. Ash laughed again shaking his head. But in an instant the laugh was cut-off. A dangerous smile crept onto Ashs face. "My turn," Ash stated simply.

Ash stepped forward, using the muscles in his back he swung a lightning fast right hand jab into Chris's nose, Ash heard a cracking sound, but didn't stop to examine the damage. He grabbed Chris by the collar with his left hand and let go three hard blows to the jaw, before stepping into him and kneeing him in the gut. Ash forced Chris's head back up and threw a hard left into Chris's already bloody nose.

Ash kneed him again in the gut which lifted him in a few inches off the ground, while in the air for that split second, Ash threw one last punch into Chris' temple knocking him unconscious, Ash didn't stop the limp body from hitting the ground.

The crowd watched in stunned silence. Ash had just taken down Chris with ease; he hadn't even broken a sweat. They watched in silence at what Ash did next.

Ash turned to the blond girl who was still on the ground watching stunned. "You okay?" He asked calmly, he offered his hand to her to help her up. She took it and he helped her off the ground.

"Your wrist does it hurt?" he asked, he was aware that she was holding her left wrist.

"I-It hurts a little bit, but other than that I'm fine." She was stunned much like the rest of the room.

He had just knocked a guy out, and was acting as if nothing even happened. "Come with me, we'll get it checked out," he then took a second to look at his knuckles. There was a small cut, but other than that he knew they were going to bruise.

Motioning for the girl to follow he turned and began the long walk out of the cafeteria. He could feel the looks that everyone was giving him, stopping, he turned around and saw that the girl to was watching him go. "Are you coming? Or are you just going to stand there?" He asked, his tone was neutral. The girl snapped out of her stare and ran up to catch up with Ash.

As they turned out of the cafeteria, Ash couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face when he heard someone shout, _"Holy shit! Did you guys see that?"_ Ash looked to the companion beside him. She couldn't have been older than 15 years old.

"Thanks, for uh standing up for me there," She said looking ahead of her.

"I should be thanking you; I've been waiting months to do that!" Ash said a slight smile coming across his face.

"What's your name?" She asked curiously.

"You're new to the Academy aren't you?"

"Well not entirely, I trained over at the Academy in the Orange Islands before transferring here,"

"Which is?" Ash asked nonchalantly.

"What do you mean which is?"

"Where is this Academy located? I've been here too long to remember the location I'm in. Mind refreshing my mind a little?"

She looked at him curiously, but shrugged it off. "Ecruteak City," Ash kept his cool demeanor, but on the inside he was freaking out. '_I'm in Johto! I've been here before! If I can break out of here there are so many places to go!'_ Ash thought excitedly.

"Since I answered your question, you answer mine" She said happily.

"If you want to know my name, you'll hear it almost every day. Especially after what just happened. And I'm not doing this to be rude, but I'm doing this for your own good. If you see me again do not acknowledge me,"

Before she could respond they turned a corner and walked into the infirmary. The Nurse who stood inside, was definitely not Nurse Joy. She was in her mid-thirties; she had Brown hair, green eyes, and wore a dark green dress.

"Hello again Sue," Ash said to the Nurse.

"You get beat up again?" Sue asked in disbelief.

"No, this time I wasn't on the receiving end of it," Ash said smirking. "But that's not why I'm here. I need you to check out her wrist," nodding his head at the girl. "Most likely a light sprain but you're the Nurse after all."

"Damn right I'm the Nurse, get over here darling and I'll take a look at it." Sue said motioning for the girl to sit on the bed beside her. "Now what er' you saying about you not being on the receiving end of it?" Sue asked Ash.

"Chris was harassing her so I… Stepped in quietly and settled the conflict like a gentlemen," Ash said giving Sue a knowing look.

"Don't B.S me boy! Bout damn time you gave that cocky fellow a whuppin!" Sue said grinning at Ash.

"You ain't gonna be grinning when you have to tend to him later, he did quite a number on him!" The girl said jerking her head in Ashs direction.

"How's her wrist, is it bad?" Ash asked cutting off the conversation.

"Boy, you need to learn to relax, her wrist will be fine. But in the meantime why don't you fill me in on the details, I'm gonna get the other Nurses tend to the other kid," Sue replied looking at the two of them.

Chuckling at Sue, Ash replied. "Well Sue he's unconscious right now, but she-" Ash nodded at the girl, "Can fill you in on the details. I'm gonna head out. I'll see you two around."

"Alright you stubborn fool, see ya around!" Sue said with a wave.

"And remember what I told you, by no means should you talk to me. That will only draw more attention to you, and me. And we don't want that," Ash said to the girl seriously.

"But…" She trailed off as Ash walked out of the room. "Why's he like that?" The girl asked Sue who was pulling something out of a cabinet.

"You new here or something?" Sue asked sarcastically.

"Actually I am," she replied.

"Oh. Well best you listen to him unless you want your life around here to get rough," she said seriously.

"Why woul-"

"Because Giovanni went to great lengths to get him here. And since he was _'specially'_ handpicked by the Boss he's been treated harshly by everyone around here. And if you talk to him the people around here are going to go after you!" Sue stated.

Sue slipped a wrist brace over the girls hand and pulled it tightly. "Now listen to me, if you can handle only socializing with him, then by all means go ahead. But expect it to get lonely at times," Sue said looking the blond in the eye. "But right now I need your name, so you can leave."

"My name's Alyssa," she said.

_**[End Flashback]**_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The large group of Pokemon, and people stared at Ash dumbfounded. 15 minutes ago Ash had been struggling through tears. But now here he was grinning from ear to ear.

"So what does all of that have to do with you breaking out?" Tracey asked. They were all fascinated by Ashs story, but it didn't really explain how he got out.

"That day in the cafeteria, basically told each Rocket in the room that if they wanted to end up like Chris. They better keep away," Ash said. Ash reached down and took the water bottle. Taking another sip he placed it back on the ground.

"Without Alyssa, I would not be here right now. I never would have gotten into that fight, and if I never was in that fight, I would have still been under tight security," Ash stated.

"What do you mean? They took away your security after you fought?" Brock asked.

"The funds for the guards, who constantly watched me while I slept were paid fairly well. But as soon as Giovanni found out that I could do some heavy damage if other Rockets tried to mess with me, he dismissed them. Not entirely but I was able to practice using my Aura more than before" Ash replied.

"So what happened to this Alyssa girl?" Misty asked. She was curious what happened to her after what Ash had told her.

"I had only been at the Academy for 5 months when the fight happened. 3 months in was when I started to practice my Aura, and keeping my emotions locked up. I hadn't seen Alyssa for two days after the fight, unfortunately on the third day she found me as I made my way to the cafeteria after my morning workout. I hadn't been avoiding her. But for some reason she decided to follow me,"

And with a smirk Ash added, "Much like you did Misty when I first started my journey,"

Misty gaped at Ash, "What do you mean just like I did?" Misty asked incredulously.

"Remember how we were first going through Viridian forest? Before I caught Caterpie?" He asked.

"Yeah…" She trailed off not knowing where this was going.

"Well you kept your distance behind me hoping I wouldn't see you. And when I did look back you dove into a bush or behind a tree!" Ash snickered. He was trying to lighten the atmosphere in the room; it had gotten a little too tense for his liking.

Misty stared at him like he had two heads. "I did not! I was right beside you nagging you about fixing my bike!" Misty exclaimed!

Ash looked at Pikachu, "Pikachu, do you remember when we had just gotten into the forest and you pointed Misty out to me?"

Pikachu nodded. "Pi Pikapi!"

"Then do you remember her running behind a tree when I turned around and saw her?" Ash asked the electric mouse.

"Pi," Pikachu answered.

Ash looked around the room quickly; he could see that there were ghosts of a smile on the others in the room, minus Mistys of course. "Admit it Misty, you followed me around like a lost puppy in the beginning! Admit it and I can continue the story,"

"I did not follow you around!" Misty shouted.

"You did too!" Ash said calmly.

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"DID NOT!" Misty yelled!

Ash toppled off the stool he was on into a fit of giggles. "You-You haven't changed a bit Mist!" Ash coughed out through the laughter. The assembled group sat looking stunned at Ash, but slowly smiles crept onto their faces and they started laughing at the all too familiar fight between Ash and Misty.

Misty didn't know what to make of this, Ash was on the floor giggling at the argument they just had. And the others had just joined in with him. Sure she had gotten the last word like she had before, but what did Ash find so funny?

"Ash what's so funny?" Misty demanded. This only made Ash laugh even harder.

"I-I'm just messin with you Misty! No need to pull your mallet out!" Ash was holding his sides because they had started to hurt.

"Stop laughing or I'll come over there and smack that stupid smile off your face Ketchum!" Misty shouted.

Ash slowly picked himself off the ground chuckling, and put himself back onto the stool. Ash looked at Misty grinning. "I'm sorry Misty, I couldn't help myself, I had to see if you still had that temper of yours," Ash said.

Misty glared at him, "Whatever! Just hurry up with the story before I pull out my mallet!" Misty hissed.

Ashs smile was wiped off his face as she said that. "You actually still have that? I was just joking about it!"

"Don't push it Ash!" Misty said telling him to hurry up.

"Okay, Okay, no need to get violent!" He said smiling, Ash was happy the mood had been lightened by their argument. It would make the rest of the story easier to tell.

"Well I had just finished my morning workout, and left the gym…"

_**[Flashback]**_

Ash hated the Team Rocket uniform. It made him feel like garbage. He was wearing the outfit of his enemy. When he had arrived at the Academy 5 months ago, they had taken his old cloths away, and had given him the same outfit all the other Rockets wore. The only good thing about the uniform was that it came with a hat.

Ash opened the door to the shower room and walked out. He had just finished taking a shower after his regular workout, and was going once again to the cafeteria for lunch. The hallways outside the locker room, were crowded. The walls were a dark grey that had a red letter R every so often painted in the center.

As Ash walked down the hallway, he could hear Grunts saying his name as he walked by. The events that went down two days ago had brought a lot of attention to him. But luckily for him, most chose to keep their distance away from him.

Ash was still fairly far from the cafeteria when something caught his eyes. Not stopping as he continued, Ash shifted his gaze to the right where he saw the girl he had helped in the cafeteria. Ash noticed she was looking at him, but he kept walking.

Ash kept going and took a left, when he was halfway down the hall he quickly looked over his shoulder. He saw the girl from yesterday at the other end of the hall behind him. When she saw he was looking at her she quickly hid behind a group of Rockets. Ash turned his gaze back in front of him, sighing he kept walking.

Ash leaned on the wall outside the cafeteria, he waited so that the line could go down and he could get his food and to his table quickly. 10 minutes passed and Ash walked into the cafeteria. Taking a tray that was against the wall he walked up to the Grunt serving the food.

The Grunt noticing Ash looked down at what appeared to be spinach and some sort of meat, and put a helping of it onto Ashs tray without saying a word. Once the food was on his tray, Ash went straight to the back corner and adjusted his hat over his eyes.

Ask poked the meat once and sighed. Ash cut a fairly large piece of the meat, taking a deep breath he shoved the meat into his mouth and chewed as quickly as he could. It tasted like raw beef, and spoiled milk, Ash thought. Once he managed to swallow the meat he pushed the tray aside. The after taste was too much.

Ash once again leaned back in his chair, doing his best to ignore the after taste and began watching the room. There were a few Grunts who glanced in his direction, but he took nothing of it. A few minutes passed and all seemed to be normal.

Ash switched his gaze to the cafeteria entrance as he saw _her_ walk in. Ash didn't take his gaze off her as he saw her go into the lineup and get her lunch. Once she had gotten it she began looking around the room. She stopped looking around when her gaze went to the dark back corner were Ash sat.

'_Oh God, don't come back here!'_ Ash thought as he saw her blue eyes look at him. Luck was not on his side. The blond swerved through the row of tables and made her way over to Ash. Once she got to Ashs table, she pulled out a chair across from him and sat down.

She tried to make eye contact with him, but she couldn't see them due to the shadow of his hat. She decided to say something, "Hi Ash," He didn't say anything, but he stopped leaning and stared at her. "You awake?" She joked, trying to break the ice. It sort of worked.

"You shouldn't be over here, your drawing attention," Ash said calmly.

"I don't care, Sue told me about you," she said, moving cocking her head to the side to try and get a look at his eyes.

"And?" Ash asked.

"And what?" she asked curiously.

"And why are you here? If you talked to Sue you should know what you're getting yourself into," Ash said calmly. She didn't answer immediately; instead she played around with her food.

Ash waited for the answer, he was curious for what it was, but he wasn't sure he was going to like the answer. "Well…You're not like the other Rockets-" Ash cut her off and said coldly, "I'm not a Rocket."

She looked up at him, she was tired of not being able to make eye contact, and she reached forward and yanked the cap off his head.

She could see his eyes now, they were a chocolate brown. There was surprise in them, but that was quickly gone and was switched into a dangerous look.

"Please return my hat," Ash said rather calmly.

"Not until we talk," She replied coolly. She saw for a split second a glimmer of what she thought was approval in his eyes, but it was gone in an instant and was brought back to the dangerous glare he had before.

"You sure you want to do this? There's still a chance for you with the others. Any longer and you're stuck with me," Ash said as he shifted his gaze around the room. There were quite a few people staring in their direction.

She looked into his eyes; the danger that was in them was gone. There was no emotion in them, he stared blankly at her. She was unsure if she wanted this. "I-I don't know," she said softly.

"Give me my hat, get up and find another table. Think it through the rest of the day. You know where I sit, see me at lunch tomorrow if you choose to for whatever reason to stick with me, if you sit somewhere else, I know your decision." Ash said calmly to the girl. She didn't answer, but she handed him back his hat which he quickly pulled over his eyes.

He tilted his head to the side motioning for her to get up and go. She got up from her chair, taking her tray. With one last glance at Ash, she left the table and went over to another group of Rockets. Ash didn't take his gaze off her as she sat down at the other table.

Ash let out a thankful sigh when the Rockets didn't get her to leave table, or that they didn't get up and leave when she sat down. But Ash knew tomorrow would different. Ash knew she had to decide whether she wanted to sit with him, or the entire Academy.

Ash wasn't sure of how he thought about the situation. As much as he would love to actually talk to someone, he wasn't thrilled that he might be getting to know a Rocket. And in the end, it all comes down to that. Rockets were the enemy, and he was going to keep it that way.

But he would find out tomorrow.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash had left the gym early; he was making sure that he would be the first into the cafeteria. Walking slowly through the hall, he turned into the cafeteria. Lucky for him the cafeteria was empty. He didn't bother going for the food, it was Tuesday and that was the worst day for lunch. It was a pasty green substance that tasted like vomit. It literally tasted like vomit. The first time Ash had tried it he spat it out right away, and ran to get water.

Making his way to the corner he sat himself down, and pulled his hat halfway down so that his eyes could be slightly visible. Yesterday after she had taken his hat, he had to find away so that he could keep his hat on, but still have his eyes somewhat visible. In case she decide to choose him, unlikely as it was, he had to be ready so she wouldn't take his hat.

Leaning back in his chair, he began to wait. Half an hour passed before the waves of Grunts poured in to the cafeteria to get their lunch. Ash kept his gaze moving, from what he could tell none of them had noticed him. It wasn't for another 15 minutes before the girl walked in.

Ash kept a steady line of sight on her as she grabbed her lunch. She slowly made her way up the line, once she had her lunch, she walked a few feet and stopped and looked in his direction. After a second she turned and began to walk in the opposite direction of him.

Ash couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment as he saw her turn away. He had been hoping that she may choose him, just so that he wouldn't be completely alone. When she had taken his hat, he couldn't help but slightly admire her. If it had been anyone else, he would have knocked them out. But she was different; she wasn't like the rest of the Rockets. But oh well.

Ash drifted into thought as he watched her walk away, _'I really shouldn't be surprised, but it would still be nice to talk to someone. And she didn't seem all that bad, bu-Wait? What's she doing?'_ The girl had stopped walking away from him, and had turned around and began walking toward him. A mischievous grin on spread across her face.

He watched as the blond moved her way once again through the rows of tables and over to where he sat. Walking up to the table she placed her tray on the table and pulled up a chair next to him. "Did I fool you?" she asked smirking. Ash sat stunned, this was the last thing he expected.

He lifted his hat up so that she could clearly see his eyes. "You're sure about this? If you leave I won't be offended," Ash said calmly but he was slightly baffled.

"Geez Sue was right, you need to relax. I'm sitting here aren't I?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

Ash was speechless. But he had to ask what was on his mind. Moving his hat back down so that it half covered his eyes he asked softly, "Why did you choose me? I'm not complaining. I'm just a little confused."

She gaped at his tone. She had only heard him talk calmly and seriously. But now he was showing just a tidbit of emotion to her. From what she heard around, the last few months he hadn't shown any emotion.

"It's like I said yesterday. You're different, when you stood up for me; it showed me that you were different then everyone else here. I happen to know that no one else would have come to help me. So why would I spend time with people who wouldn't stand up for me, when I could spend time with someone who would," she said looking at Ash.

Ash took a long look at her, before answering. He looked into her glimmering blue eyes. He could see nothing but honesty and sincerity in them. He didn't care if any of the Rockets saw what he did next. A smile came across his face.

"You know? You're different to. Most Rockets wouldn't have even said thanks for someone helping them. You said you went to the Orange Island Rocket Academy?" Ash asked. She nodded. "For how long?" he asked curiously.

"Almost two years, why?" She wasn't expecting him to bring this up right away.

"Well the fact that you've been a Rocket for almost two years, and you are not a psychopath, means you have feelings at least. I bet you trained in knives instead of becoming a Ranger," Ash said knowingly. She looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, I did. How did you know?" she asked.

"When I saw Chris harassing you, I could feel you had a sense of confidence in you, a fighting spirit, I'm actually kind of curious what you would have done if I hadn't stepped up," Ash replied.

"Thanks for the compliment; I may have a fighting spirit as you put it. But I'm definitely no great fighter, if I tried anything he could have easily taken me on," She replied a little downheartedly.

"Well, I'm gonna have to help you with that aren't I?" Ash said nodding his head as he thought over what she said.

"What?" She asked puzzled by what he had said.

"Well, remember how I said things get rough? Well you're going to have to be prepared in case the others try anything. I'm not getting you to my level, for safety reasons tho. But I can help you improve so you can defend and fight back," He said giving her a smile.

"That's what friends are for right?" Ash asked extending his hand. "Hi, I'm Ash Ketchum!" Ash said grinning.

She looked at him thinking over what he said. But slowly a grin spread over her face. She took the offered hand and gave it a shake, "Hello Ash, my names Alyssa Cloud," Alyssa said happily.

_**[End Flashback]**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>So whadda ya think? The type of torture Ash went through is called water boarding. I remembered it from some TV show. I need to give a special thanks to Creative Writer 2000. He helped me decide on weather or not to make this a two part set of chapters, or to make this a really long chapter. I think it will turn out better as a two should definitely take a look at some of his work, they are really good, and his story's are well written.<strong>_

_**And Part two is not far away, I'm working on the main portion of the chapter two too the best of my abilities. But i need your help in the reviews, I need to know if what I've done here is a good enough chapter. I had trouble writing the beginning, but once i got to the flashbacks, things started to get a little more fluent for me.**_

_**So please Read and Review, it means a lot to me. I try and reply to most of the Reviews I get, but my second semester started and I'm going to have a lot more work then last. Thanks again for reading this, and Part two is not far away, so with that!**_

_** ThatOneDwarf, Signing off! (Yes. I'm going to end each chapter with those 3 words. Deal with it.)  
><strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Fun chapter to right! Ash goes Bad ass!**_

**Longest chapter, 15K words! I would have kept going, but what I would have added after the end would have made it to long for my liking. I hope you guys enjoy this, during the chapter the writing gets a little iffy here and there. I am pretty sure the dialogue is a lot more punctually correct then the other chapters. I made it priority to look over the chapter carefully. But i bet there are a lot of mistakes, but oh well whats a guy gonna do? (Shrugs)**

**_Well any way here is Chapter 4!_**

* * *

><p>"So you became friends with a Rocket!" Prof. Oak exclaimed!<p>

"Yes I did Professor and I'm still friends with her to this day," Ash replied calmly. "Aly and I had gone through a lot together, and she helped me escape. So without her I wouldn't be here right now,"

"But Ash, you can't trust Rockets, they will lie to get what they want!" Misty said incredulously! She couldn't believe that Ash would trust a Rocket! How naive could he get?

Ash sighed; this was agitating him a little. "You don't think I know that Misty? I never told her everything and she understood when I wouldn't answer certain questions. She knew I was being forced to stay at the Academy. She understood when I couldn't tell her where I was going once I broke out."

"But I knew why she was a Rocket, I know her story and why she joined. And that's something I can never tell you. Wanna know why, because she trusted me enough to tell me. I'm the only person who knows why she joined, no one in the entire Rocket organization knows." Ash took a deep breath.

"And you can think or say whatever you want about her, but none of you will know her like I do!" Ash finished firmly putting an end to the conversation.

The entire group stared at Ash stunned; he was flat out defending Team Rocket. Whatever bond this Alyssa girl and Ash had was special. Ash and Alyssa must have gone through a lot in the past few years for Ash to talk about her like that.

"I-I'm sorry Ash…"Misty trailed off.

"It's fine Misty, I didn't mean to be rude or anything like that. It's just that without her I could very well be dead right now. And she had to go through a lot before and after I escaped," Ash said gently.

"Now what's the next question? Ash asked the group. The group sat silently as they considered the next question. Surprisingly Pikachu was the next one to ask a question.

"Pikapi pi pikachu chu, ka pi Pikapi?" Pikachu asked.

"Hmm," Ash thought about what Pikachu had asked him.

"What did Pikachu ask Ash?" Delia asked. She was getting more comfortable now that the story wasn't so hard to hear.

"Pikachu wants to know what the next important thing that happened was. In my eyes there are quite a few. But the main events that would come into play wou-" Ash stopped as he remembered something.

"What is it Ash?" Tracey asked. Ash didn't answer; he was still going over something in his head. The group waited for Ash to finish thinking. It was almost 5 minutes later before Ash began to speak again.

"Well…I suppose the most important thing would be the '_Tournament_' (Ash used finger quotes as he said this) Giovanni held in my honor," Ash said, his mind was far away as he recalled the events.

"Was it a Pokemon tournament?" Brock asked.

"No, nothing like that, and I wasn't allowed to use Pokemon, only the fighting types I trained with," Ash said dismissively.

"Why couldn't you use Pokemon Ash?" Misty asked. Team Rocket used Pokemon to do their work. So why wouldn't Ash be allowed to use them too?

"They knew I could battle, and they thought I would use one to try and make an escape attempt. So they kept me away from Pokemon, and Pokeballs," Ash said nonchalantly.

"So what was the tournament then?" Prof. Oak asked.

"Well I was the best fighter in the school. I could take out anyone if I wanted to, and I'm not just saying that to be cocky. It's the truth!" Ash said making sure that everyone understood.

"So after I fought Chris, I had a couple more fights over time and I came out on top each time. And once Giovanni got word that I had taken down 12 or so Grunts with ease, he decided to hold a fighting competition to see how well I'd fair against the others," Ash stated as he grabbed the water bottle off the floor and took another drink.

"Whys that the next important thing Ash?" Misty asked.

"Because this was around the time I was planning my breakout. And I learned that if I won the tournament, I would be sent to an Advanced Academy for training," Ash answered, this was an important factor leading to the breakout.

"So did you throw the competition, so you wouldn't be transferred?" Tracey asked.

"I couldn't throw the competition. If I did Giovanni would suspect something, and bump up the security around me. And if he did that, I wouldn't be able to attempt the break out," Ash said as he rummaged through his bag.

"Ka chu Pikapi?" Pikachu asked Ash.

"You'll see in a second Pikachu," Ash said as he pulled out an object wrapped in cloth from his back pack.

"What's that honey?" Delia asked. Ash unwound the cloth, and inside was a sheathed knife.

"The tournament started with fist fighting, but after a while, they brought what they trained us with into play," Ash said as he unsheathed the large blade. It had a black hilt, the steel blade was 10" and edged.

"This was the knife I used when it came to the fighting. But I didn't use it to cripple, only to do enough damage to get the win."

"The main reason I couldn't throw the competition was because there were a few Grunts who wouldn't mind seeing me get hurt, or killed for a matter of fact. So I had to injure some so that I could continue. I never did permanent damage tho!" Ash said sternly.

"So how did the competition go Ash?" Brock asked. He wasn't one for violence, but this seemed like it could be an interesting story.

Ash thought about where he could start. "Well I guess I should start from when I first found out about the tournament right?" He asked. The group shrugged and nodded.

"Okay, so…" Ash began.

_**[Flashback]**_

Ash was sprawled out on the bed in his tight compact room that was his living quarters. The room he was forced to live in was double the size of a broom closet. The room was just big enough for a bed to fit in tightly against the walls, to the right of the bed was a small dresser that kept multiple Rocket uniforms which he wore every day. Other than that, the room was empty except for the door.

Ash had finished the days Training, and had just gotten back from spending the night with Alyssa. She had grown to be the fire that energized him to keep going. It was almost two years since they had met, and they had grown a special bond. She was the only reason that he was still going, she was the only reason he was still alive.

The day they met in the cafeteria those two years ago changed everything for him. He had been alone, unloved, unwanted. He was just a tool in whatever Giovanni's plan was. But she kept him from doing anything rash, during the two years both of them had gone through a lot. Ash owed her his life, because she stopped him from doing anything that he'd regret.

There were times when he wanted to call it quits, and just end it. But she pulled him through it. He couldn't allow himself to do that to her. She had given up everything for him, and he would do the same. Even if it killed him in the process.

Ash was beginning to doze off as he heard the door to his room snap open. He was tempted to turn around to look to see who it was, he knew it wouldn't have been Alyssa; she would have knocked and yelled something sarcastically at him.

"You got some nerve just opening the door like that." Ash said coldly not opening his eyes. The person didn't answer; instead they came up and gripped Ash on the arm. And that was a mistake. Ash snapped his eyes open and tore his arm away from the Rocket. Ash flew off the bed and threw a quick jab into the Rockets jaw. Ash grabbed the Rockets arm and twisted it at a painful angle behind the Rockets back and slammed his head into the wall of his room.

Pinning the Rocket against the wall Ash asked the question. "Tell me right now why I shouldn't snap your arm! And knock you unconscious!" Ash growled!

The Rocket didn't answer immediately, which made Ash increase the pressure on the arm."I-I have an _Agh!_ Message from the Boss!" The Grunt got out.

"Well if that's the case why didn't you knock on the door like a regular human being? Or why did you not answer me when I asked you what you were doing coming in here?" Ash said calmly applying more pressure.

The Grunt winced as the pain shot up through his harm. "It's Urgent! Giovanni told me to get you right away!" The Grunt managed.

"Where is he?" Ash asked.

"His office! He showed up randomly and told me to come find you!" The Grunt answered. Ash knew something was up; Giovanni didn't reside here at the Academy. He stayed at wherever the main Rocket HQ was.

"You're getting off lucky, next time you need me knock like a human, or I break your neck! Got it!" Ash growled threateningly. Ash would never break somebody's neck, unless it was a life or death situation. But the Rocket didn't know that.

"Of course, I'm sorry! I swear!" The Grunt said as he looked into Ashs dangerous glare. Ash released his hold on the Grunt and told him to get lost. He gladly obliged. Ash sighed and walked over to the small wooden dresser. Opening the top of the three drawers, he took out his black cap. Placing it over his head so that it covered his eyes, he turned and left his room.

Leaving his room in the Dormitory he went left down the hall, then down two flights of stairs and took a right. Going down the hall way, he took a left and continued down the hall for a minute before taking another right and ended up in the Training room. Giovanni's office was situated between both a Gym, and a Training field. It was so that he could watch the Grunts train to see if they were any good, and to see if they need some _encouragement_ as Giovanni put it.

Ash walked across the dirt battle field and up a short stair case that led to a wooden door. Ash knocked on the door and waited. Ash waited and after a minute the door finally opened. The door was opened by a blond Grunt. Ash didn't acknowledge him and walked in. He was in a small room with a desk and a chair beside another door. Ash went up to the door and knocked.

"Hey you can't just-" The Grunt was cut off by Ash turning to him and raising his hat a little, giving him an icy gaze telling him to be quiet.

Ash turned back to the door and knocked again. He was tired and didn't want to be here long. Giovanni would no doubt be displeased with Ash for constantly knocking. But Ash didn't care; he had no respect for Giovanni, or Team Rocket. Except Alyssa of course.

The door finally opened and in the door frame stood a smiling Giovanni in his regular orange suit. "Ah, Ash my boy come in, come in!" Giovanni said coolly motioning for Ash to enter the room. Ash didn't like Giovanni's tone, but obliged and sat in the chair facing the desk that was in the room.

The room was large; it had book shelves lining the walls. The desk sat in the center of the room; on top were a computer, a digital clock, and some papers, other than that nothing, and there was also a black leather chair behind the desk.

Giovanni went around to the other side of the desk, and sat down in the chair. "How have you been Ash? It's been awhile since our last meeting." Giovanni stated calmly.

"Fine," Ash replied just as calmly.

Giovanni raised an eyebrow at Ash, but let a smirk come across his face. "Still following in my footsteps I see?" Giovanni guessed.

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm keeping myself alive. Now why am I here?" Ash asked calmly. Ash wasn't intimidated by the older man, at first when Ash had begun to take away his emotions he hadn't realized he had taken the tone Giovanni had used when he had first been kidnapped. Ash improved on it tho, adding the hat for effect, and making the tone a lot more ominous.

Giovanni's smirk grew. This unsettled Ash, but he didn't change his demeanor. Giovanni took one of the papers off the desk and handed it to Ash. Ash took the paper and looked at what was on it. Names were written down the left side of the sheet; lines branched off from the names and connected to other lines. Making a pyramid until there was one line at the top.

Ash had seen this many times in his journeys, it was a battle tree chart. Ash was more than puzzled, was there going to be a Pokemon battle tournament or something? "Is there a Pokemon battle tournament?" Ash asked as he scanned the names. Half way down he noticed his name.

"A tournament yes, Pokemon no." Ash was puzzled by his answer, but remained silent so Giovanni could continue.

"Ash your skills as a fighter are becoming too much for this Academy to handle. Over the last two years you have fought in 17 fights, and won each one,"

"I wouldn't fight if they didn't provoke me." Ash stated simply.

Giovanni smiled, "Well of course, and you wouldn't have fought if they hadn't gone after that girl right?" Giovanni asked innocently. Ash didn't answer. But Giovanni knew the answer anyway.

"If you are as skilled as a fighter as I believe you are, I'm going to transfer you to a new facility with better training, and better security so you can start to use Pokemon." Giovanni waited for Ashs reaction. He didn't get one, that damn hat of his hid the expression in his eyes and left him answer less.

Ash was deep in thought; he made sure to keep a blank face on in case Giovanni got a good look at his face. _'I can't transfer, I'm so close to getting out of here, and I can't leave Aly here by herself, she'll be torn. But what if I do terrible on purpose? Then he'd know I'm not a very good fighter, or what if I decide not to compete?'_ Ash was struggling for a way to get out of this.

Giovanni was getting annoyed with Ash; he had kept him waiting for almost 5 minutes. Ash finally spoke. "This is a fighting completion?" Ash asked.

"Yes, it is."

"I _won't_ transfer," Ash said laying extra stress on 'wont.'

"Well that depends if you win or not," Giovanni stated firmly.

"What if I throw the competition?"

"Why would you? You have nothing to lose do you?" Asked Giovanni suspiciously.

"In fact I do, I can't leave the girl." Ash put firmly, he looked down at sheet again and took another look at the list scanning the names.

Giovanni studied Ash for some sort of emotion, as much as he hated it Ash played the emotionless role very well. Better than him, but he wouldn't admit it.

"What if I transferred the girl with you?" Giovanni asked, he was trying to hit Ash in a weak spot. Ash snapped his gaze from the sheet to Giovanni as he said that. Ash didn't think he would play that card. Either Giovanni was up to something, or he really wanted Ash to compete in the competition.

Giovanni knew he had Ashs attention when he said that. "I'll make you a deal," Giovanni said simply placing his hands on the desk. "If you win the competition, I'll send you and the girl to the facility. But if you lose, or try and get out of the competition I will bring back the security from when you first arrived, and I'll have the girl shipped to another Academy. But if you throw the competition, on purpose. I will ship you to the Advanced Academy imminently, no time for good byes to your friend. As soon as the match is done, you're gone." He finished firmly.

"What happens if I do my best, but don't end up winning?" Ash asked seriously. Giovanni hadn't actually considered that. But he came up with an answer.

"Let's see how far you get, if you're near the top, and you pass out from exhaustion, or from blood loss. You will be shipped off without the girl. If you lose in the beginning with what I truly believe is your top fighting, this entire thing will have been a waste of time." Giovanni finished.

Ash didn't like this agreement at all; he was getting the worst of the deal. But he had to ask what was on his mind. Ash reluctantly took his hand and put it on his hat. Slowly he gripped it and took it off.

Giovanni was surprised at this, he was about to say something when he noticed the look in Ashs eyes. "I would like time to think over that decision," he stated firmly but cautiously. Giovanni could see in his eyes that he was treading lightly, and Giovanni decided to take that into his advantage.

"Why can't you answer for me now?" He asked.

"This decision can change the outcome of how this entire competition goes. And it's not only me being put at risk; it's also putting the girl on the line." Ash said slowly.

"I would like to discuss the deal with the girl, and get her input. But for reference, when is the competition?" Ash said this slowly as he folded up the sheet and tucked it into his shirt.

Giovanni eyed Ash suspiciously. He drummed his fingers across the desk as he considered what Ash had asked. As Giovanni thought about what Ash had asked, Ash stole a glance at the clock. It was almost midnight. Ash waited for a few minutes, until the Boss broke the silence.

"How long will it take for you to talk this over with the girl? You most of all know I'm not patient, and I would like this to be settled fairly quickly."

"Let me go now, I'll head to her room and we'll talk through the night. We will come in here at 6 and have your answer." Ash said firmly with a nod.

"What do you mean _we?" _Giovanni asked.

"I bring the girl with me to answer you. For…Insurance." Ash said with the faint trace of a grin.

Giovanni raised an eyebrow at that, "Fine hurry up, and if you keep me waiting a minute after 6 deals off." Giovanni said pointing at the door, telling him to leave.

Ash needed know further coaxing; he pulled the cap over his eyes and bolted through the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash sprinted down the empty hallways, taking several lefts and rights until he finally arrived at the girl's dorm. Stopping to catch his breath, Ash opened the door that led to the many rooms in the building. Ash knew Alyssa wouldn't be thrilled to see him at midnight; in fact she'd probably be asleep. But Ash needed her help with this, he couldn't leave her or be sent to a different Academy.

Continuing down one of the hallways Ash looked at the numbers on each of the passing doors. _313, 314, 315, 316, and 317!_ Ash thought as he stopped and continually knocked on room 317s door until someone decided to answer.

Ask knocked for 30 continuous seconds before the door was opened. Opening the door stood a green haired girl with dark green eyes, a large nose, freckles, and a scowl on her face. Seeing that Ash had been the one at the door, she closed it on him right away.

Ash began knocking harder this time and louder to wake up all the occupants in the room. After no one answered the door, Ash did what he hated to do. He started yelling. While continuously knocking on the door Ash began to call out Alyssa.

"ALYSSA! ALYSSA WAKE UP! I KNOW YOU CAN HERE ME! AND TELL THAT GREEN HAIRED GIRL IT'S RUDE TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON PEOPLE!" Ash shouted, as much as he didn't like to yell, this was a little fun. The door was swung open again by an irritated Alyssa.

"Nice PJ's," Ash snickered at the blond. She was wearing a green tank top with Roselias printed all over, and grey sweat pants.

"What the hell are you doing here, and why are you all sweaty?" She whispered furiously. She was doing everything possible to not smack the smirk off Ashs face.

"Look Aly, get changed we need to talk. Important business!" Ash said seriously and quietly, so that the other girl wouldn't hear. Alyssa's eyes went wide awake at that, Ash usually waited till the morning to talk about important things.

"What is it?" She inquired.

"Can't talk here, I'll wait for you to get changed then we'll head to my room k?"

"Okay, hang on!" Alyssa slammed the door shut, and minutes later she appeared wearing her regular Rocket pants and a black hoodie over her green shirt.

"Let's go, we've only got a few hours," Ash said as he took off down the hall.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The two arrived at Ashs tiny room a couple of minutes later and sat down on the bed. Ash reached into his shirt and pulled out the folded piece of paper.

"What's that?" Alyssa asked.

"I'm sorry for waking you up, but I just got out of a meeting with Giovanni," Ash began.

"Giovanni's here?"

"Yeah, and what we talked about concerns you, I was able to get him to give me a couple hours to discuss this with you before I gave him my answer!" Ash gave her the piece of paper and waited while she examined it.

Ash watched as her eyes scanned the list of names, her eyes stopped for a second when she read Ashs name, but continued after the moment's hesitation. She looked up from the sheet and looked at Ash, "What's this supposed to be a tournament listing or something? And whys your name on it, you can't use Pokemon?"

"It's a tournament; Giovanni wants to transfer me to another Academy. So to see if I would be suited for it, he's holding a fighting competition to see how well I do."

"You're being transferred!" Alyssa said in shock.

"I told him I wouldn't compete so I wouldn't have to leave you Aly," Ash said giving Alyssa a reassuring look.

"So you're not leaving?" Alyssa was confused,

"This is why I came to you, Giovanni offered me a deal, if I win the tournament, I get transferred and you come with me." Ash said giving her a small smile.

Alyssa's face lit up into a smile! "That's great! We know that you're the top fighter here, so it shouldn't be a problem right?"

"With Giovanni there are always more details, If I try and throw the competition I'll be sent to the other Academy. If I don't compete, Giovanni will bring back the old security and send you off to another Academy. And If I do my best but don't win and I'm near the top, I'll be shipped off without you. But if I do my best and I lose in the beginning, then everything remains the same." Ash finished.

Alyssa thought about what Ash had said, there was a lot on the line for both of them. They could be split up, they could stay together here at the Academy, or at a different academy, or she would be sent off and Ash would be left with tight security and no one to be with him.

"So what do you plan on doing? And why would you not compete or throw the competition?" This part puzzled her.

Ash took off his hat and set it on the ground; he got up and opened the door, and checked to make sure no one had been eavesdropping. Making sure the coast was clear he silently closed the door and locked it.

Sitting down on the bed, Ash told her why. "There are three main reasons I can't throw the competition. One I can't lose you, two I can't change Academy's, and three I can't have the old security back."

"Well, I understand one of those three answers, mind filling me in on the rest?" Ash nodded, he knew she wouldn't like what she was going to get for an answer.

"Remember the day we met? When I asked you where this Academy was?" Ash asked.

She nodded. "And you remember that Giovanni went to great lengths to get me here?" She nodded again. "Do you know how he got me here?" Alyssa was about to nod but stopped. This was something she had thought about once or twice, but other than that it had never been brought up.

"No, I thought about it a few times, but I never thought of asking. Is it something I should know?"

Ash nodded, "You know how I told you how I used to train Pokemon, and go traveling and competed in leagues."

"Yeah?"

"Well Giovanni went to great lengths to get me here. So far as to what I can piece together he went as far as to attack me at the award ceremony at the end of a League." Ash wasn't sure how she would handle the news.

"I-I knew you said you were being forced to stay here. But I never would have expected that!" Alyssa was shocked; Ash had simply told her that he had been brought here against his will. And when she asked why, he said he didn't know.

"You told me you didn't know why you were here! Did you lie to me?" She asked incredulously! Ever since Ash and her had become friends, they had always been truthful with each other. The thought that Ash had lied to her was a tough thought to bear.

"I never lied to you Aly, I still don't know why I'm here. But when Giovanni forced me to join, he threatened to kill my friends and family if I didn't join. That's the only reason I stayed."

Alyssa couldn't believe this! Ash had only joined Team Rocket because the lives of his friends and family were on the line!

"Ash. I-I Didn't know!"

Ash smiled at her. "It didn't turn out all bad tho. If they hadn't done that, I never would have met you!"

Alyssa couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face. "Yeah, I guess that's a good thing isn't it?"

"But now that Giovanni wants to send me to another Academy. There's something you need to know that you won't like,"

"What is it?"

"Over the past few months, I've been planning my…Escape."

Alyssa looked at Ash astonished! "Your…Escape?"

"Yeah, I can't stay here anymore. I don't know what's going on. But now that I know Giovanni wants me to go for Advance training, that can't be good. I have to get out of here before he sends me. I have a feeling win or lose I'm going to be sent there no matter what."

"Why haven't you told me about this? Don't you think I should have known?"

"I know, but I never knew how to bring it up. Do you honestly want to know why I never brought it up?"

Alyssa nodded the fact Ash was going to leave without her knowing was unexpected.

"I'm concerned about what would happen to you after I had gone." Alyssa gestured for him to continue. "Well you're the only person, who's been with me through this whole thing. Giovanni would no doubt come to you for answers, and his methods of getting you to talk aren't fun. Believe me."

Alyssa stared at Ash; she wasn't sure what to think of this. "W-what do you plan on doing?"

"I don't know. If I broke out…Would you come with me?"

"What!" Alyssa didn't see that coming.

"Would you want to come?"

"Where are you planning on going?"

"I can't tell you if you're not going to come," Ash said, he had thought through all this before.

"How come?"

"Think about it. If you stayed and knew of my whereabouts, they wouldn't stop until you spilled. And believe me they would get it out of you!"

"I don't think I should Ash, I have nowhere else to go. And living the life of a fugitive doesn't sound like it would be the easiest thing to do." Alyssa was worried that Ash would try to keep coaxing her into joining, but his next words dismissed those feelings.

"It's fine, but say I can get things together on my own. Would you like to get out of here? Like I break you out or something?" Alyssa gaped. Comeback for her?

Ash raised an eyebrow at her. "Can you give me an idea of what you're planning at least? If you did get things together, what would we do?"

"That's something I can't tell you. I've got a few things to still think about. But when we go to see Giovanni, we can only hope that the tournament isn't for a few months. I'm going to need your help getting ready for it, I'm going to have to win this thing, I have a way of getting a time extension once the tournaments over, but that's when I'm going to have to leave. The night after the tournament,"

"How do you plan on getting out?" Alyssa asked, this was something she was quite curious about. The Academy was a 3 section building. On the left side was the male dormitory; in the middle were the Training rooms, cafeterias, gyms, and the infirmary. Then on the right side was the girl's dorm.

The entire building was surrounded by a fence, and a large forest that stretched on for miles.

"Well, I'm going to do it around 2AM, the guards will be tired, and will be changing shifts an hour after. I'm going to head up to the cafeteria and break out through that window that's about half way down the back wall. Once I'm out from there I'm making a dash into the woods, and hopefully be far from here once they get word I'm missing. Nothing complicated, the more complicated the more things can go wrong."

"Okay two things with that, one the cafeterias locked, and two the window has two iron bars across it. How do you expect to get through those?"

"Cafeterias easy, I'll pick the lock, take maybe a minute, once I'm in there jam the door shut, then taking out the bars will take some time, but I've done it before." Ash said nonchalantly.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow and looked at him incredulously. "You've done it before?"

"I've dealt with Team Rocket in the past; I've been thrown into a few cages here and there. Sure my Pokemon were the ones that broke the cages, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve so."

"Like?" She asked innocently.

"Like something I can't mention, best if I keep that a secret until I get you out," Ash gave her a reassuring smile. "Okay we've got about two hours till we got to see Giovanni, do you wanna sleep in here, then I'll wake you up when it's time to go?"

Alyssa thought about it, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to sleep now knowing all the facts she had just learned. "I'll try, I'm not sure I will be able to tho."

"Okay, I'll lie on the floor; I've got some things to think about." Ash said.

Getting up from the bed, Ash went to the drawer and took out two shirts and folded them into a pillow. Alyssa crawled under the thin covers of the bed and closed her eyes. Ash dropped down on the floor and lay down, slipping the shirts underneath his head for slight comfort.

' _I'm going to have to train a lot more then I usually do before this competition, but I can't help but wonder what Giovanni's up to. After I give him my answer, I'm going to take as much info as I can get from him.'_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash got up from the ground and stretched. His muscles were a little tight after lying on the ground for two hours. Ash took his hat off the ground and placed it on his head. Ash then picked up the folded shirts and went over to his dresser.

Ash slipped the shirts into the second drawer and opened the top and pulled out a second hat. He then looked over at the sleeping figure on his bed. Alyssa was curled up in the covers with her head half covered. Chuckling to himself Ash walked over and gently shook the tired girl. "Aly come on we got to get going. Gio ain't gonna like it if we're late."

Alyssa stirred, and slowly turned over to face him. "Why do I (yawn) need to come again?" She asked drowsily.

Ash smiled, "I need you to make sure there are no loop holes, or ways so that I can get scammed on this deal."

"Right, you get distracted easily and need someone to keep your from turning to the dark side right?"

"Yup now get up," Ash said as Alyssa slowly lifted herself out the bed. Once she had stretched Ash handed her a hat.

"Why do I need this?"

"You're going to do your best to hide your emotions. Not hard to do, and Giovanni can tell if were up to something."

Alyssa placed the black cap onto her head, making sure to fix the slight bed head she had. Ash noticed the hat was slightly off, and pulled the hat down another half inch so that it fully covered her eyes. Ash slipped his hat over his eyes and opened the door. "Let's go!" Ash said.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The duo made their way into the Training room and up the staircase Ash had originally gone up. "Follow my lead," Ash whispered. Ash knocked hard on the door. After a moment the door was opened by a brown haired Grunt, following the same manner he had before. Ash walked right passed the Grunt and into the room. Alyssa was just behind Ash.

"What do you thin-" The Grunt was cut off by Ash tilting his hat up briefly shooting the Grunt a dangerous glare.

Ash knocked on the door to Giovanni's office and waited. There was a click and the door swung open, Giovanni had an emotionless gaze. _Probably because Aly's here, _Ash thought. "Come in, you and the girl came up with an answer I take it?" Ash sat down in one of the now two chairs in the room and motioned for Alyssa to do the same. She sat beside Ash.

Giovanni walked around the desk and sat down, he noticed the girl had her hat down the same way Ash did. The boy was clever, that's for sure. Ash spoke first, "The deal stands then?" his voice was as calm as ever.

A smirk came across the Rocket bosses face. "I take it you accept the deal?"

"Before I answer, I need to know if you're providing supplies." Ash asked. Giovanni wasn't expecting this, he expected a straight answer.

"What do you mean supplies?"

"If you want me to fight in this, I need wrist wraps if you expect me to do well; I'll also need an attire of my choice." Ash stated firmly. Alyssa was surprised at Ashs attitude to the Boss! He was acting as if he were in control of the situation. It was a good idea for Ash to give her the hat, because she was looking in awe at Ash.

Giovanni had a calm expression on his face , but on the inside he hated himself because he slightly admired how the kid could act as tho Giovanni was the one being questioned. But he had a way to counter Ashs cool demeanor.

"I supply the equipment you need, and you fight in the competition?" Giovanni asked? Alyssa leaned over to Ash and whispered something into his ear. This annoyed Giovanni.

"With the original deal acting as well right?" Ash asked.

_Damn the girl!_ Giovanni was trying to slip one over on Ash and she saw through it. Giovanni glared at the girl. Even tho he couldn't see her eyes, he could see her tense up as he stared at her with cold eyes. Ash slowly moved his hand over to hers, to help keep her calm.

"Is it a deal? You supply the equipment, and the first deal is kept intact? Yes?" Ash said.

Giovanni tore his gaze from the girl and back to Ash, "Yes, the original deal and I get you the equipment." Giovanni said coldly. Ash held his hand out over the desk toward Giovanni. Giovanni took the offered hand and grabbed it tightly, Ash fought back by shaking just as hard.

Once the shake of power ended Ash had other things to discuss. "I'd like to dismiss the girl, so we can discuss more private matters without interruption," Ash stated coolly. This greatly surprised both Alyssa and Giovanni as both of their heads snapped to look at Ash.

Giovanni had no clue this was going to happen, and he wanted to tell them both to get lost, but now curiosity burned through him.

"And what matters might these be?" Asked Giovanni.

"As I said before, private matters between us, nothing needed for my companion to hear."

"And what do these have to deal with, that are important enough for the girl here to not be in the room if we talk about this." Giovanni said.

Ash tilted his cap up so Giovanni could see his eyes, "Ones that concern _you_ and _I,_ and I have a feeling you know what I'm talking about." Ash stated firmly laying a large amount of stress on 'you' and 'I' to get the point across.

Giovanni looked at the girl, "You're dismissed!" Alyssa gave him a salute and quickly left the room, not even giving Ash a look.

Once the door was shut Giovanni began. "What do you want to know? We haven't touched your family if that's what you want to know."

"I want to know why took me in the first place, I'm being sent to an Advanced Academy. So whatever you have planned must be happening soon." Ash stated.

"Those have nothing to do with you, and do not concern you." Giovanni stated flatly.

"I have my thoughts; maybe you'd like to hear them?" Ash said inquisitively.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I'm right, I've only got small bits of it. But I think you'll know I'm on the right track, interested?" Ash asked raising an eyebrow at the Boss.

"Oh please do, inform me of your glorious detective work!" Giovanni scowled.

"You only took me so I'd stay out of the way, out of the way of what I'm not sure. But it has to deal with the Pokemon League, Kanto or Johto. Take your pick?"

Now it was Giovanni's turn to raise an eyebrow. "And why would it have to deal with the Pokemon League?" Giovanni questioned.

"Two reasons, you have power in Johto, and Kanto. And there's really no other reason for you to remove me from the League unless you see me as a threat." Ash stated in a matter of factly tone.

Giovanni studied Ash thoroughly, the kid thought this through well. But that shouldn't surprise him; he's had two years to think it through. But the kid wasn't far from the truth.

Giovanni smirked. "I won't lie to you, those are some good theories. But you're far from the truth there." Giovanni was a master of lying, the puzzled expression on Ashs face proved that.

Ashs face turned into a scowl, "Well, that's what I wasn't hoping for. But I have nothing else to discuss." Ash said downheartedly.

"Good, now leave before you feel like bringing anything else up!" Giovanni said pointing at the door.

Ash was about to get up, when something stopped him. "When is the competition?" Ash asked.

"One month, now go!" Giovanni said getting irritated. Ash got up from his chair and walked through the door pulling down the cap over his eyes.

Walking out he did not see Alyssa, but that wasn't surprising. Leaving onto the field and out in the hall Ash couldn't help the victorious smirk that came across his face. Ash had one month to get ready for the break out, and he had read Giovanni's face like a book. When Giovanni had said that he was nowhere near right about his thoughts. Ash looked into his eyes to see that he was telling the truth.

That would never happen; Giovanni would have kept a blank gaze so that Ash couldn't read his thoughts. But when he did, it was like he wanted Ash to know that it was the truth. And that's where Giovanni's plan had back fired.

Giovanni was a guessing game, that you would either be told a lie, or a confusing answer of the truth.

And Ash had been told a lie.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash had found Alyssa in his room asleep on the bed, coaxing her from her sleep. He said they had one month to prepare, she asked what he had asked Giovanni. And guilt swam over Ash for the first time as he told her a lie. Instead of filling her in on that he knew Giovanni had lied to him about the answer, he had told her what Giovanni had told him. And that was it.

It was going to be for the greater good in the end. Ash knew how he was going to do the tournament and everything. He had everything planned out on his walk back to his room, he had thought on how the tournament would play out and the breakout. He told Alyssa his idea for the competition, and she thought it was brilliant. But now he had to train for it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[One Month Later]**

'_Left, left, right, duck, kick, dodge!'_ Ash thought as he rhythmically moved around the punching bag. He had been in the gym for 5 straight hours, over the last month and he had spent his time constantly practicing to get his stamina and strength to its fullest before the tournament was held.

The tournament was the next day and he had to prepare himself for the tiring day ahead. Ash knew that if he made the slightest mistake in this tournament, it could be disaster for his plans. He could break his leg, or arm, sprain his ankle, get a concussion. The amount of things that could go wrong was endless.

"Well hey there hotshot, mind takin a break? You know we don't need you passing out in the first round right?" Alyssa asked as she came through the gym doors. Ash let go two more rights and lefts before turning around.

"Well Aly, a lot is on the line so you know that there is no such thing as too much practice!" Ash said as he walked over to a bench to pick up a white towel.

Alyssa wouldn't have any of it. "Well Ash, I think it's time you take a break. And don't give me none of that '_I'm doing this for you stuff_'. If you were really doing it for me you'd come get dinner with me!" She said crossing her arms stubbornly.

During the month of training Ash had used the _'I'm doing all this training so that I can make sure your safe after the tournament'_ excuse many times. The first few times Alyssa had bought it, but after coming back to the gym asking for a week straight. She wouldn't take no for an answer.

Wiping the sweat off his face with the towel, Ash took a draft of water from his water bottle before answering his best friend. "Not a good idea Aly, this is going to be quite the tough challenge. I don't think a little more training would hurt," Ash said giving her a persuading look.

"Ash," She said gently, "Please come with me to dinner. What if something goes wrong during the tournament and this will be the last time we have a chance to hang out before or after the tournament."

Ash could see in her normally blue cheery eyes that she was worried. Ash gave her a genuine smile. "Come on Aly, I'll shower up and we can go grab something to eat." Ash draped the towel around his neck and picked up the water bottle.

"Thanks Ash, how long do you think you'll be?" She asked.

"Give me ten minutes, and I'll be ready." Ash replied as he gave her a wave, and walked off to the showers. Walking into the showers, Ash realized how sweaty he was. The white tank top he'd been wearing was damp with sweat.

Taking off the damp shirt, Ash noticed for the first time at how much he had changed. When he had first arrived at the Academy, he had been more than a head shorter than he was now. He had much more muscle toned arms, and chest. His hair was longer, but it still had the same messy style he had before.

Ash shook off his thoughts on how he looked and got into the shower. After a quick shower, he changed into his Rocket uniform and left to find Alyssa. It wasn't hard; she had been leaning on the wall outside the door.

"Take your time why don't you?" She asked sarcastically smiling at him.

Grinning back he replied, "Well, I seem to remember you taking an hour to do your hair. It fascinates me how you put so much effort into it, then you end up covering it with a hat anyway." Ash walked up and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Come on Blondie let's go!" Ash said leading her to the cafeteria.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The two walked into the crowded cafeteria, and waited in the short line up. Lucky for them today was Wednesday. That was the only day that had a somewhat appetizing dinner, a burger and cold vegetables. The Grunt who was serving the dinner placed a burger, and some veggies onto each of their trays. Once they had their food they made their way to their table

The duo made their way through the tables and sat down in their regular spot at the back corner. Ash leaned back in his chair as he took a bite of the burger.

"So are you nervous about tomorrow?" Alyssa asked as she picked up her burger and took a bite.

"A little, a lot can go wrong. But I'm pretty sure this shouldn't be too hard, but in case something goes wrong I need you to be ready to get Sue for me." Ash replied as he scanned the room for trouble.

"I've got a feeling she's going to be there anyway to watch; Giovanni is probably going to have medical staff on standby for the more serious stuff." Alyssa took a glance behind her to see if people were staring.

When news of the fighting tournament got out, many Grunts knew that they had a chance at being paired up with Ash. So they had taken the opportunity at whatever time possible to gang up on him to do some damage. They had only ganged up on him a couple times that month, but Ash hadn't been able to fight them to the best of his abilities. They had gone after him right after his long hours of training when he was the most vulnerable.

"A couple of them are staring, but they aren't going to try anything," Ash said reassuringly to Alyssa.

Alyssa turned back to Ash, "How can you be sure? Tomorrows the tournament, so if they can hurt you so it'll be easier for them I don't think they'd mind doing it!" Alyssa said worriedly.

Ash gave her a caring smile, "Giovanni arrived a couple of hours ago, so unless they want to deal with him then I don't think they're going to try anything." Ash took another bite of his burger before pushing the tray away.

"I guess you're right, but what is the plan exactly for after the tournament?" Alyssa asked.

Ash raised an eyebrow at her, "Well this isn't the best place to be talking about this. But I'm going to stay the night in the infirmary for safety reasons, then the next day we'll spend the day together." Ash gave her a sad smile.

"Then that night, I'm gone…"

Alyssa looked into Ashs eyes; she could see that he was sad to be leaving her, and she felt the exact same way. They had grown close over the last two years, and it was like they had known each other their entire life.

Alyssa gave Ash a sad smile in return, "I've actually been thinking about that, Ash." She wasn't sure on how Ash would react to what she was going to tell him.

"What about it Alyssa?" Ash asked curiously.

"You know how we decided that you would get me out of here after you got things together." She said slowly.

"Yeah…" Ash trailed off not knowing where this was going.

"Well I had this idea you see. I don't think you should come back for me,"

Ash cut in; he kept his voice neutral and calm. But on the inside he was shocked. "How come? I thought you wanted to get out of here as well?"

"I do!" She said to reassure him, "It's just what if I stay here and while you're gone I gather information about what Giovanni is planning. I mean what if we find a way for you to get back at him for what he did to us; foil the bad guy's plans!"

Ash was dumbfounded; he had no idea what to say. "I, I'm speechless. That's a brilliant plan, but could you pull it off?" Ash was shocked by her plan, but he loved the fact that he could take down Team Rocket, before there plan came into action.

"I think I should be able to, remember how I've been training for about four years now?" Ash nodded.

"Well one more year and I get to go into the field. So we could come up with a way for us to stay in contact!" Alyssa wanted to shout that out in excitement, but they had to keep talking in a whisper so the others couldn't hear.

Ash thought about what she had said, he was looking for littlest details that could ruin their new plan. "What are you going to tell Giovanni when he asks you where I've gone?"

"Well I'll tell him the truth, you haven't told me where you're going, or what you're going to be doing right, so all I can tell him is that I knew you were planning a break out, and that I had just found out about it."

Ash wasn't a hundred percent on this, he wanted to make sure that Alyssa was going to be safe and wouldn't have any harm done to her.

"I want you to tell him whatever he wants to know, how I get out, what we talked about when we first found out about the tournament. Everything but this plan!" Ash still hadn't told her that he knew Giovanni was lying about what he had told Ash the night he found out about the competition.

"Are you sure? What if he asks something like…" Alyssa trailed off as she thought of a question.

"Nothing you could tell him would help him find me; I've got everything sorted out. I know where I'm going, I just need to figure out how I'm going to get to these places. You don't need to worry."

Alyssa was still worried that she might say something wrong, but her thoughts were soon brought back to the present. "But we can't even worry about this right now; first I've got to make it through tomorrow, right!"

"Right!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ash, Ash wake up!" Alyssa shouted from the other side of the door. It was 6:30AM and Ash and her were supposed to get an early breakfast before a light workout. Ash was fast asleep, but he could subconsciously hear Alyssa calling him.

"Five more minutes…" Ash moaned quietly. Alyssa pounded on the door, but Ash did not answer.

"Oh come on he can't be that tired!" Alyssa said to herself incredulously. Growing irritated she pounded on the door as loud as she could, "ASH WAKE UP THIS INSTANT! YOU DENSE IDIOT THE COMPETITIONS TODAY!" Alyssa yelled.

That got Ash up; Ash shot up from his bed and tore open the door. "What time is it?" Ash asked quickly.

"It's 6:30! Now hurry up and get dressed, we need to get something to eat, and get in that work out!" Alyssa said impatiently.

"Why didn't you get me up sooner? We were supposed to leave at six!" Ash asked incredulously!

Alyssa glared at Ash, he had a competition coming up but that wouldn't stop her from doing some damage herself. "I've been trying! You sleep like a Snorlax with a full stomach!" She shouted!

"Well someone's a little grumpy isn't she?" Ash said coolly closing the door behind him. Alyssa glared at the door irritably. Ash came out came out a minute later in his workout attire, black shorts, a white tank top, and his black cap.

"Ready?" Ash asked happily.

Alyssa grabbed him roughly by the wrist and dragged him behind her. "Don't push it Ash, I don't have a problem knocken you out before the competition!" Alyssa said huffily!

Ash chuckled and caught up to her so he wouldn't be dragged anymore. "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to keep my mind off the tournament." Ash replied honestly. Alyssa's glare softened as he said that,

"I know, I'm worried to, you got a rough day ahead of you."

The duo made their way into the empty cafeteria and grabbed a quick breakfast. The breakfast was simple and straight forward, toast and some fruit. After they ate, they headed straight for the training fields. "Why are we coming here first?" Alyssa asked.

"I need to get the clothes that I'm gonna be wearing. Giovanni said to pick them up here, I'm guessing in his office." Walking through the doors to the field, they saw the ring Ash would be fighting in. It looked like a boxing ring, but instead of it being elevated, it was flat on the ground. Around the ring were stands for the Grunt spectators to watch.

Ash and Alyssa walked past the ring and up the steps to the wooden door. After a quick knock on the door, the door was opened almost instantaneously. A blonde Grunt motioned for them to come in, "These yours?" He asked taking a cardboard box off from the desk in the room.

Ash walked over to him and opened the box. In it were two pairs of white wrist wraps, two black V-neck T-shirts, a pair of black cargo shorts, and a pair of black and white sneakers. Ash took out each of the items to make sure they would fit. Ash nodded and replaced the items into the box.

"Yeah these are mine, Thanks." He said giving the Grunt a nod. The Grunt jerked his head to the door motioning for them to leave. Ash and Alyssa walked out of the room and headed for the gym.

"Hey Ash, why didn't you ask for shin pads, or elbow pads or anything?" Alyssa inquired.

"From what I know it's basically going to be like a street fight, so no padding. The only reason I was able to get the wraps is because I told Giovanni I wouldn't be able to make it far in the competition if my knuckles were bruised or badly cut." Ash said as they went around the corner.

"Makes sense I guess," Alyssa shrugged. They turned another corner and entered the gym.

"So what are you going to start with?" Alyssa asked.

"I guess I'll start stretching then go to the bag," Ash shrugged.

"What about weights?" Alyssa asked as she jerked a thumb over to where the weights were shelved. Ash thought about it.

"When does the tournament start?" Ash asked.

Alyssa glanced over to the clock in the room. It was 7:15. "You got another hour before you need to get ready." Alyssa said.

"I'll finish stretching then move to the weights for ten minutes, and then I'll use the bag." Ash shrugged as he started to stretch his hamstring.

"Where are you going to be during the fights? I'm gonna need to know where my coach is don't I? Ash smiled at her as he walked over to the weights.

Alyssa gave him a smirk, "Oh so I'm your coach am I? Well I dunno, maybe I should be in your corner yelling at you to do better!" Alyssa giggled.

"I have a feeling you're going to be doing that even if you aren't beside the ring," Ash chuckled as he started bench pressing.

"Well you got me there." Alyssa replied, then looking at Ash she realized how much he was lifting.

"Damn Ash, I didn't know you were that strong!" Ash was bench pressing around 200lb.

Ash grinned at that, "I know, it's like I'm lifting three of you!"

Alyssa shook her head at Ash, she was a little on the light side, so she looked rather thin. "Oh so funny Ash, maybe you should stay here and be the entertainment for Team Rocket during dinner!" She said overly sarcastically, clapping her hands.

Ash replaced the dumbbell back on to the rack, and began to stretch again. After another five minutes of stretching Ash got focused and went over to the box of supplies he had gotten. Sitting down on the bench the box was on; he took out one of the pairs of wrist wraps and began to wrap them around his hands.

"Why are you using the new ones, if you've already got your old ones back in your room? Alyssa asked. Ash had perfectly good wraps in his drawers in his room, so why would he start using the new ones right away.

"Dunno, I guess to break them in and see how they feel?" Ash shrugged. Alyssa shrugged as Ash got up and started getting into the rhythm of moving around the bag and throwing punches and jabs.

"Hey Ash, you forgot to get your water bottle. Want me to go get it?" Alyssa asked, Ash was going to be parched after and during the fighting.

"If you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it!" Ash said as he threw two lefts and a kick into the punching bag.

"Alright, be right back!" Alyssa ran out the door and toward Ashs room.

Alyssa half walked, half jogged to Ashs room. Arriving at Ashs room she opened the door and went to his dresser. Ash never locked his door when he wasn't in it. Opening the top drawer she pulled out his black water bottle. Leaving the room and closing the door behind her, she ran to the nearest washroom and filled up the bottle.

Going through the halls almost running, she stopped in front of the gym and caught her breath. "Ash I'm back…" She called out as she opened the gyms door. The first thing she noticed was that Ash wasn't alone in the room.

"I don't see why we can't do this now; I mean there's a chance we won't even be paired up during the competition." A Grunt said. There were three Grunts standing in front of Ash. Alyssa knew they wanted to get a chance to weaken Ash before the competition started.

"Well if you three really want to be paired up with me I have no problem getting Gio to fix who I fight," Ash said coldly.

"Ash? What's going on?" Alyssa asked to draw the attention of the Grunts away from Ash. The Grunts spun around to see who came to Ashs aid. The Grunts faces lit up into smirks as the saw Alyssa.

"Well hey babe, what brings you here?" A Grunt with brown hair and green eyes asked, giving her a cocky smile.

Alyssa wasn't one to take that, but right now she couldn't let Ash take a fight for her. "Well, I'm here to wish Ash good look before the fight, God knows he's gonna need it!" She said with a laugh. The Grunts joined in on her laughter and turned back to Ash.

"Well my Majesty, I see your girl has finally seen the light!" A blond haired Grunt laughed.

"Bout damn time to!" A blue haired Grunt chuckled.

"Yeah, it's a sad life I have," Ash said depressingly looking down at the ground. "No friends, no family, nothing." Ash sat down on the ground and hugged his knees to his chin.

The three Grunts were roaring with laughter! "L-Look at this! The princess fin-AGH!" The Grunt was cut off by Ash swiftly kicking his leg out and into the Grunts kneecap, causing him to crumple to the ground. As the Grunt fell to the floor, Ash shot up and threw a right uppercut into the Grunts jaw, knocking him unconscious.

Ash got up into a fighting stance on the balls of his feet waiting for the first attacker. "Who's next?" Ash asked threateningly.

Alyssa shook her head and placed her head in her hands and sighed. They were doing so well, the Grunts would have left, and Ash could have gone back to training. But nope, Ash had to go and ruin it.

The two remaining Grunts looked at each other in surprise. Ash had just knocked out one of their group, and was ready for them to advance on him. They were unsure on whether they should or not. Their original plan was to have two of them hold Ash while the third beat him.

"I tell you what, take him," Ash jerked his head to the Grunt on the ground. "And get out of here before you both regret it!" Ash stated coolly. The Grunts stood looking at Ash, they then very slowly bent down and grabbed the unconscious Grunt by his arms and began to pull him out of the room. Alyssa stepped out of the way as they went through the door and into the hall.

"Oh come on Ash, why did you go and do that?" Alyssa asked. Ash shrugged and shook off the tension he had.

"Better then training with a punching bag I guess," Ash replied.

"But what if something happened, you could have been seriously hurt!" Ash walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. After a second she reciprocated and pulled away.

"Look. I didn't get hurt, and when you came in they were going to still going to go after me. Then if they did grab hold of me, and you tried to intervene they would have gone after you to!" Ash said seriously looking her in the eye.

Alyssa sighed in defeat, she knew it was true. "I'm gonna go shower, you should go find yourself somewhere to watch the fights. Once I'm done I'll come find you okay?" Ash asked her.

Alyssa gave him a nervous smile. "I guess, but don't take too long, or I'll go in after you!" She replied.

"I bet you would, now get going!" Ash chuckled as he ushered her out the door. Ash had a quick shower and unpacked his clothes from the box. The V-neck T-shirt, cargo shorts, and wrist wraps made Ash look like he was a professional fighter. Tying his new sneakers up, Ash took a look in the mirror.

Ash couldn't believe how far he'd come. Everything he had worked toward over the last two years was all going to determine his future in the next few hours. The constant planning, practicing, everything was coming together. Now all he had to do was survive the next couple hours and he'd hopefully be home free.

Ash shook himself out to relieve the stress and tension that he had. He could feel something that he hadn't felt in years, the anticipation, the excitement, and the nerves of an upcoming battle. He was ready. Ready to take down Team Rocket.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash left the shower room and headed straight for the training room. Opening the doors, Ashs jaw dropped at how full the room was. The stands were packed, and there was a large crowd who formed a circle around the ring so they could get a clear view of the fights. Looking around the room Ash searched around for Alyssa.

After ten minutes of searching Ash found her over by where the nurses and doctors set up a tent. "Place is packed isn't it!" Ash called out to get Alyssa's attention. Alyssa spun around and waved at Ash. "Lookin good Ash, those clothes fit ya nicely!" She said giving him a once over.

Ash chuckled at rubbed the back of his sheepishly. "Thanks Aly." Alyssa smiled; she knew Ash would be embarrassed by that.

"So what are you doing over here?" Ash asked, it had a pretty good view of the ring, but it was a little far away.

"It's got a pretty good view, and Sue was around here so." Ash nodded, it was logical.

"Damn boy look at you!" A female voice from behind said. A grin lit up on Ashs face, he recognized that voice anywhere. Turning around Ash saw the brown haired nurse.

"Hey Sue, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thanks for askin. But did you half to send us a beat up kid before the competition started!" She said giving Ash a smirk with a raised eyebrow.

"Well unless you wanted it to be me and Aly then yeah." Ash replied simply.

"So Ash are you ready?" Alyssa asked, she knew his nerves were high.

Ash gave her a grin, "Never been more ready in my life!" Ash said confidently.

"You better give me a show boy; I've deserved it after how many times I've had to help you!" Sue said seriously.

"Don't worry Sue; you'll get one I promise. But keep some ice packs around, I already know I'm not going unscathed during this so." Ash said seriously. He had to fight in almost 10 fights. To think that he would go unscathed would be ridiculous.

"Will do, but don't get to beat up right away, I wanna see some knock outs from ya!" Sue grinned.

"I'll do my best, I have emergency tactics. But I'd rather not use those if I need to!" Ash replied.

"What type of tricks you got up your sleeve Ash?" Alyssa piped in.

"Well I-" Before Ash could finish, the sound of a microphone turning on could be heard. The trio looked toward the ring, and standing in the middle of it with a microphone in his hand was Giovanni.

"Welcome everyone one to this trial of combat!" Giovanni's voice ricocheted off the walls of the training room. "We are here to witness the excellence of our fighting trained Recruits! They will be competing in multiple rounds to get to the top rank of Team Rockets Grunts!"

Ash listened intently to Giovanni's speech. He honestly could care less about the formalities but he wanted to know the rules.

"The rules are for this competition is to win by whatever means necessary, if anyone from the crowd interferes with a match then they will be severely punished! No padding that gives an advantage over the other is allowed! Anyone caught using these methods of cheating will once again be severely punished!" Giovanni stated in an icy demeanor.

Ash felt someone grab his wrist, he switched his gaze to Alyssa and he could see in her eyes that she was terrified. "Are you okay Aly?" Ash asked softly.

"A-Ash, he said any means necessary! You-You could be seriously hurt!" Alyssa was about to panic. Ash quickly wrapped her into a tight but gentle hug, and started to rock her back and forth.

"Don't worry Aly, everything's going to be fine. Just take it easy," Ash brought her over to a chair by the medical tent and sat her down.

Alyssa had tears starting to form in her eyes so she lowered her gaze from Ash. Ash crouched down so he could look into her eyes, he gave her his trademark toothy smile, "Aly, trust me. I am going to be fine. I have you and Sue in my corner, that's better than having the world on my side!"

Alyssa gave him a nervous smile, "I know Ash, I-I I'm just so scared for you…" Alyssa trailed off.

Ash put her into a gentle one arm hug, "It's alright for you to be scared, I am to I-" Ash was interrupted by Giovanni.

"And now the first rounds will begin!" The Rockets began to cheer like this was some underground fight club. A smirk came across Giovanni's face. "I will now hand this over to the announcer so we can get things underway!" Giovanni cackled.

Ash, Alyssa, and Sue waited as Giovanni handed the mic to a Grunt who wore a black and grey referee shirt, instead of the white and black. Chuckling the Referee began to call the first names. "For the first match of the day is..." He trailed off for the suspense to build.

Every Grunt in the building wanted to see the fights, but what they really wanted to see is how beat up Ash would get. "Between Roloson and Patricks'!" The Grunt called out! The crowd erupted into shouts of curses, cheers, and howling.

Ash let out a pent up breath he'd been holding since Giovanni left the ring. "Looks like we got some time to kill," Ash said.

"Looks like it." Alyssa replied thankfully. The fight if you could call it that lasted ten minutes, the entire time the two who were fighting constantly circled each other and occasionally lunged forward to throw a punch. The match ended when one of the Grunts jumped forward and let go a hard blow to the other Grunts kneecap breaking it.

Alyssa winced as she heard the cracking sound of the knee breaking. "Brian, Carole! Go get that kid now!" Sue shouted as two Grunts from the crowd were carrying off the injured Grunt who fought.

"Ash…"Alyssa trailed off. "Yeah Aly?" Ash had kept a keen eye on the fight to look out for what he should be expecting.

"What if that happens to you!" Alyssa's voice was barely audible. Ash crouched down and put his hands on both of her shoulders.

"Aly, trust me I'm going to be fine. But if you're scared to watch then maybe you should head back to your room." Ash said.

Alyssa glared at him, "Why would you say that! I'm not leaving you, if you like it or not!" She shouted.

"Good, just take a couple deep breaths okay? I know you're scared so am I, we just got to take it one step _er_ fight at a time." Ash said seriously.

Alyssa took a couple deep breaths to get herself under control. "Okay Ash, I'll be alright,"

"That's good-" Ash was once again cut off as the Referee called out the next two participant's names.

"Next up is Burrows against her Royal Highness!" The Grunt paused to let the crowd laugh, Ash only scowled. "Princess Ketchum!" The booing instantly poured throughout the stadium at the sound of Ashs name.

Ash stood up and smiled at his two friends, "Knock that idiot out boy!" Sue encouraged.

"Good luck Ash, Alyssa got up and gave Ash a tight hug.

"Thanks Aly, I'll be right back, and don't worry Sue, I'll give you your show!" Ash said seriously.

Sue let a devious grin spread across her face; she had been waiting to see Ash fight for ages. The two watched as Ash silently made his way to the ring.

Ash skillfully moved through the jumble of Rockets and into the ring. Ash didn't even glance at his opponent; he went straight to the Referee. Ash walked up and grabbed the Ref by his shirt; Ashs eyes were cold and dangerous. In his most threatening tone Ash said, "Announce my name like that again and I'll do to you what I do to him and worse!" Ashs voice was calm; it made the threat even more deadly.

"Do you understand?"

The Refs eyes were wide open in fright; the look in Ashs eyes was deadly. But slowly he nodded. Ash let go of the shirt and walked to his corner where he shook himself out and did a quick stretch.

Ashs opponent was shorter than him, he had brown straight hair, small nose, and a slightly bruised cheek, and had bigger arms Ash did. That didn't faze Ash, just because you have more muscle didn't mean you were stronger.

Ash cracked his knuckles before raising his fists in front of him. The Grunt across for him raised his fists so they were positioned like Ashs.

The referee stepped out of the ring, and pulled out a cap gun, pulling the trigger the match started.

As soon as Ash heard the gun sound he advanced on his target. The Grunt waited for Ash to be right in front of him before he swung a wild right hook. Ash ducked and shot up and unleashed a devastating assault on the Grunt.

Ash threw a hard left jab into the Grunts jaw, and followed up with a swift kick to the gut. With the Grunt winded Ash gave the Grunt a light uppercut, not enough for a knock out, but enough so that his face would be visible. Ash let go three right jabs to the nose, followed by a hard left to the jaw. The Grunts mouth and the front of his shirt were drenched with red, Ash had broken the Grunts nose and now the damage was shown to the crowd.

Ash decided to end this. Ash waited until the Grunt decided to attack, he swung a shaky right kick at Ash who countered by blocking with his left leg, and let go his own kick into the Grunts stomach causing him to once again be winded. As he went for his first breath, Ash swung a powerful right hook into the Grunts already swollen jaw.

As soon as contact was made Ash turned and left the ring. He already knew what the outcome of that punch did. The room was silent as Ash stepped out of the ring. It was one faint clapping sound that filled the room. Giovanni gave Ash a standing applause at the fight. The room remained silent as Ash continued walking.

Sue and Alyssa stared at Ash in astonishment. The silent training room was broken by Sue, "Damn boy! That boy ain't waking up for a long time that's for sure! That was one hell of a show!" Sue shouted excitedly.

"Thanks Sue," Ash turned to Alyssa, "Told you it would be alright," Ash grinned.

Alyssa grabbed Ash into a massive bear hug, "That was terrific Ash! You did Great I was worried for nothing!" Alyssa squeezed Ash as hard as she could.

"Aly! You-Kill-ing Meh!" Ash choked out!

"Oops sorry Ash!" Alyssa giggled with a delighted grin on her face.

"No problem, now we have a resting period before I go back out there. "Ash said as he took a seat, he may have won the fight. But he did not hold back so he was just the slightest bit tired.

Alyssa handed him the water bottle, "Here Ash, you must be thirsty!"

Ash took a drink of the cold water and spat it out onto the ground. "That's a lot better thanks Aly," Alyssa grinned at him and took a seat next to him as they watched the next few fights.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A couple hours passed and Ash had fought in six matches, most had gone flawlessly, but Ashs sixth opponent took him by surprise, at the start of the match he had ran up to Ash and grabbed his shirt, and started throwing wild punches at Ash. A couple of the blows hit, and opened a cut on Ashs cheek.

After the surprise wore off, Ash kneed the Grunt in the gut and finished the fight quickly by throwing a hard right into the Grunts gut, followed by sweeping the Grunts legs out from underneath him. When the Grunt was down, Ash had flipped the Grunt onto his stomach and pinned him down with both knees on the Grunts shoulder. With the Grunt pinned down Ash pulled his arm into a painful submission.

Ash repeatedly shouted for the Grunt to call it quits, but he refused. So Ash had to do something he wish he didn't, he snapped the Grunts arm.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"_AAGH!"_ The shout sounded throughout the Training room. Ash got off the injured Grunt and left the ring shaking his head. Ash pushed through the crowd of Rockets and made his way back to Alyssa and Sue.

"Ash! Are you okay?" Alyssa asked worriedly as she saw the cut on Ashs face. Ash felt were the cut was on his face and winced as it stung.

"It's not bad, does sting a little tho. I feel bad for the guy over there, should have listened!" Ash said as he shook his head sadly.

Alyssa put an arm around Ash, "It's not your fault Ash, he was an idiot. You constantly shouted you'd snap his arm for three minutes. He didn't listen so you did what you had to!" Alyssa said to get him back into his fighting confidence.

"I know, I just wish it didn't have to happen that way," Ash said giving her a small smile.

"Good, now how are your hands doing? They've been pretty busy so,"

Ash looked down at his knuckles, and saw that the originally white wraps were now a dark pink. "Can you pass me the other pair of these; I think it's time for a change!" Ash said as he carefully un-wrapped the bloodied wraps.

Alyssa went to Ashs box that had his supplies and took out the other pair of white hand wraps. As Ash removed his wraps, he realized how bruised his knuckles were, "Hey Sue!" Ash called out behind him to the medical tent.

Sue popped her head out, "What is it boy! We got work to do!"

"Think you can get me two ice packs? My knuckles are starting to swell!" Ash called out to the nurse. Sue nodded and disappeared into the tent. Seconds later she reappeared with two packs for him. "Thanks Sue!"

"No problem," She turned and ran back into the tent.

"Ash… your hands aren't looking to good, are you sure you can keep going?" Alyssa asked as she gently took Ashs bruised hands in her own.

Ash gave her a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine Aly, just need to keep some ice on them for now before my next fight." Ash sighed contently as the cold icepacks covered the painful swelling.

**Fifteen minutes later**, it was time for Ashs next fight.

"We got an interesting match up here folks!" The Referee was grinning like child on their birthday.

"The next match up is between Big Boy Brad and Ketchum!" The Referee laughed. The crowd roared their approval at this. Ash on the other hand wasn't too thrilled.

"Umm, Aly?" Ash asked curiously.

"Yeah Ash?" She asked nervously.

"Did I hear what I think I did?"

"Yup…"She choked out.

Ash looked at Alyssa worriedly, her blue eyes were scared, and his brown eyes were no different. "I recommend getting Sue out here just to be on the safe side!" Ash said giving her a false smile.

Alyssa ran up and gave Ash a quick hug, "You better not get knocked out here Ash! You've come too far to end it now!" She whispered into his ear.

"I won't, don't worry Aly, but get Sue! I've got to get over there!" Ash pulled out of the hug and quickly made his way over to the ring.

Ashs eyes went wide as he saw how tall his opponent really was. The seven foot monster in front of him was huge. Brads appearance resembled a very tall and large-muscled lumber jack. Swap out the overalls and put him in dark blue jeans, and a skin tight black t-shirt and there you have it. His black eyes and night black hair were more than a little intimidating.

Ash kept his distance from the towering man in front of him. Ash kept on the balls of his feet, his only chance at winning this was with speed. There was no way in hell he'd win this with strength.

The Referee stepped out of the ring with a huge smirk on his face; pulling out the cap gun he started the match.

Ash instantly began to circle carefully around the giant. Brad laughed as Ash danced away from him. Ash quickly leapt forward and let go a hard right hook into Brad's stomach, but that did absolutely nothing. Brad laughed at the blow Ash delivered.

Brad stepped forward and threw a left jab at Ash. Ash ducked, and sprung back up only to be hit quickly by a hard right in the jaw. The blow staggered Ash and he fell against to the ropes, he could feel warmth slowly sliding down the corner of his mouth. The punch was like being hit by a train.

As Ash scrambled to recover himself at the ropes, he narrowly avoided a right hook from Brad. Ash ducked the blow and ran to the other side of the ring. Getting himself back into his fighting stance, Ash leapt forward and threw two hard swings into Brad's stomach.

Brad definitely felt that, he winced as the second blow hit him. That just made him angry; Brad swung a powerful right into the left side of Ashs ribcage.

Ash fell to the ground at the pain that shot through him. The punch knocked the wind out of him, but he couldn't give up. Ash shakily picked himself off the ground, and wearily raised his hands in front of him ready to defend himself.

Ash ducked a right and sent a hard kick into Brad's knee. Brad fell do his knee at the blow, Ash went to deliver a right hook into Brads temple, but Brad blocked and let go a left go into the already injured ribcage.

Ash fell back and held his side, the pain was excruciating. Brad was back on his feet and was standing above Ash as he squirmed on the ground. Brad raised his boot; Ashs eyes shot wide open as he saw what Brad was going to do. Ash rolled to the left as the boot came crashing down a second later where his chest had been.

Ash got to his feet ignoring the searing pain in his side; he slowly raised his fists in front of him as he prepared for Brad's upcoming assault.

Brad let go a deep laugh at the beat up Ash, "As soon as I'm done with you I'm going over to that blond whore of a girlfriend of yours, and were going to have some fun!" Brad laughed! The Rocket crowd roared with laughter at what Brad had said.

Ash lowered his guard at that.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Uh oh…"Alyssa said aloud.

"What's Ash doing? He's going to get even more torn apart then he already is!" Sue exclaimed!

"I don't know what Brad said, but whatever it was got Ash angry!" Alyssa said worriedly. Ash lowered his guard and was merely staring at the giant in front of him.

"What do you mean he got angry?" Sue asked confused.

"Do not make Ash angry if he is in a fight. Never."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ashs glare was cold and dangerous, Brad didn't seem to notice. _'You could have won this, no chance now…'_ Ash thought angrily. Ash decided to risk it all. Adrenaline coursing vigorously through his veins, Ash ran forward and slammed a powerful right into Brad's gut, which staggered the giant. Before Brad could recover, Ash dashed backward and threw his back into the ropes and propelled himself forward, with the extra momentum Ash ran at the giant and jumped turning in the air he swung his leg in a wide arc into the giant's temple. Ash knew he wouldn't be able to land on his feet, so he landed with a painful thud on his badly damaged ribcage.

A meaty smack was heard as Ashs foot made contact with Brads skull. Brad stood still as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Then he slowly fell to his side and landed on the ground in an unmoving heap.

Ash tried to pick himself off the ground, but was in too much pain. Lucky for him the room was silent at the scene in front of them. "ALYSSA!" Ash shouted in pain as he tried to pick himself up, "ALYSSA!"

Alyssa and Sue were stunned at Ash, he had been standing in pain, then out of nowhere he had ran up to Brad, staggered him with a punch, used the ropes to give him extra momentum! Then did a mid-air spinning round house kick for a knock out!

"ALYSSA!" Alyssa snapped out of her stunned gaze as she heard Ash call her name, "ASH!" She shouted as she bolted for the ring, Sue right behind her. Pushing through the stunned crowd, she saw Ash laying painfully on the ground holding his side.

"Ash!" She ran over to him and saw the blood running down the side of his mouth. "Sue! We've got to get him to the tent!" Alyssa shouted at the nurse! Alyssa bent down and lifted Ashs arm around her shoulder. Ash winced as she lifted his arm.

"Other side please, ribs broken!" Ash said through gritted teeth. Alyssa went to his other side and slipped his arm around her shoulder and very slowly lifted him off the ground. Ash was pretty much dragged the rest of the way to the tent. Entering the medical tent, Ash was placed on one of the beds.

"Sue" Ash said tiredly,

"Yeah Ash?" She asked quietly. She was stunned at Ash; she couldn't believe the heart this kid had.

"Stop the bleeding and get me something to kill the pain in my side. I've got to be back out there in a few minutes." Ash said. Sue ran to one of the cabinets.

"No Ash! You can't go back out there!" Alyssa cried through tears. Ash had broken ribs and he was bleeding! She wouldn't dare see him go back out there!

"Don't cry Aly, I'll be fine I have to do this. Only a few more rounds and I'm done!" Ash said giving her a painful smile.

"Ash no! Please don't go back out! You can't get hurt anymore!" Alyssa had tears streaming down her face; she wouldn't let Ash go no matter what he said. Sue came back with a cup of water, two pills, a sewing needle, disinfectant, and some string.

"Take these Ash!" She handed him the pills and cup of water. Ash downed the painkillers, and waited for Sue to start stitching the cut.

"Aly go get Giovanni for me!" Ash said seriously. Alyssa gasped.

"W-Why Ash?" She had no idea why Ash would want to see the person who put him into this in the first place.

"Just do it please, and I know how you are about seeing things get sewn up so please get him for me!" Ash asked desperately.

Alyssa got up from where she was seated beside Ash, "I'll be right back! Don't you die or pass out on me!" She shouted worriedly as she left to find the Rocket boss.

Alyssa ran around the room looking for Giovanni, the next fight had gotten underway but was nowhere near as good as the previous fight. Looking around the training field, she saw Giovanni seated up in a balcony above the ring. She bolted for the stairs and past the guards.

"Sir!" Alyssa said as she raised her hand in salute to the boss.

Giovanni turned his gaze from the fight to the tired girl. "What are you doing up here?"

"Ash needs to talk to you about something!" Alyssa replied.

Giovanni's curiosity peaked at that, he was more than impressed with the previous fight. It made this entire competition worth watching. "What does he want?"

"He didn't say he just told me to come get you!"

Giovanni got up from his seat, "He's in the medical tent?"

"Yes sir! Broken ribs and he's getting stitches on his lip!" Alyssa was practically dancing, she wanted to get back and see Ash.

"Fine lead the way." Giovanni stated coolly. The two made their way to the medical tent to see Ash sitting on the edge of the bed without his shirt on.

"Ash what are you doing? You should be lying down!" Alyssa shouted.

Sue came up to Ash with a roll of gauze and tape. "I'm not done yet; I need a little more time before my next fight!" Ash said looking at Giovanni.

"You still plan on competing?" Giovanni asked surprised.

"No Ash you're not competing! You can't keep going you're going to kill yourself!" Alyssa shouted tears springing back into her eyes.

"How long till my next round starts?" Ash asked the Rocket Boss.

Giovanni eyed Ash curiously. Broken ribs and he was still going to keep fighting? _'Maybe I should make this more interesting...'_ Giovanni thought.

"Your match would be after the one that's finishing next, are you sure you still want to continue? If you say yes, there's no backing out until the round after that." Giovanni stated flatly.

"Ash no!" Alyssa shouted! She ran up to Ash and pulled him into a tight hug, making sure to avoid his freshly wrapped mid-section.

"Yes I'll go another round. After that we shall see how I feel. The painkillers kicked in so I shouldn't feel my side very much."

"Very well, make your way out when you hear your name." Giovanni stated as he left the tent, with a dangerous smirk on his face.

_**[Pause Flashback]**_

"Why would you go back again and fight Ash!" Misty asked incredulously!

"I had to Mist, I could still walk, still somewhat defend myself, and still attack with kicks or right punches." Ash replied looking at the surprised red head.

"But why Ash? You had broken ribs! That could seriously harm you if you got hit there!" Brock exclaimed!

Ash gave the group a smile. Taking the bottle off the ground he took a another sip of water and set the bottle back into place.

"The reason I stayed in was because Giovanni thought that I wanted to get Alyssa to come with me to the new Academy. So I had to stick it out until the final match or until I couldn't fight anymore." Ash looked around the room and saw the question everyone was thinking.

"So did you make it to the Finals or have to quit do to exhaustion?" Tracey asked.

"Well…"

_**[Continue Flashback]**_

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><p><em><strong>Well what do ya think? Next chapter's the conclusion to the Tourney, and the breakout. I'm also going to be finding a way to bring in a few more characters. I'm not going to lie to you, I was tempted to make Alyssa and Ash hook up during this chapter. But I forced myself to keep this PokeShipping. And I know I went straight from when the two met straight to two years later. But that's because I want the plot to develop more and it'll give me reasons to (Maybe) right one shots during the time Ash and Aly are together.<strong>_

_**Please Review this chapter, I really wanted to write more about Ashs fighting, but do you guys think it was a good edition to the story? Leave you honest Reviews, and have a fantastic day! Or night...Or evening... Well you know what I mean!**_

_**With that..****ThaOneDwarf Signing Off! **_


	5. Chapter 5

**Well hello there everyone, a new day and a new chapter! The writings a little iffy through out the chapter, but that's because I wrote some of it during the day. (I Write better when I'm tired!) I've got the next chapter planned out in my head and probably the chapter after that if everything goes smoothly. There's not much else to say, until the end of the Chapter so until then, Here's Chapter 5!**

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><p>"Ash why are you doing this? There's no chance for you to win this thing!" Alyssa cried as she stared in disbelief at Ash.<p>

Ash gave her a soft one arm hug. "I've got to Aly; let's talk outside the tent quickly okay?" Ash asked softly, whispering this quietly into Alyssa's ear so Sue wouldn't be able to hear.

Alyssa pulled gently out of the hug; looking into Ashs calm eyes didn't make her feel any better. "Okay, but you better have one damn good excuse for this!" Alyssa's voice wavered as she said this.

Ash and Alyssa left the tent and went to an unoccupied area where they could talk. "Okay Ash please tell me why, I won't be able to watch this fight it'll be too hard!" Alyssa's voice wavered as she looked to Ash for answers.

"Remember how Giovanni said that if I won I'd be able to take you with me to that new Academy?" Ash asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well two things, I can still walk and hopefully still be able to defend myself, and Giovanni thinks I want you to go with me to the new Academy so we can stay with each other right," Alyssa nodded and Ash continued.

"Well if I'm still in fighting shape I should be able to continue, I can't use my left arm, and I need to protect my left side and that's it. I can still use my legs and my right arm." Ash waited as Alyssa went over what he had just said.

"I suppose your right, but how far are you going to go?" Alyssa wouldn't be able to watch much more if Ash was going to be on the receiving end of these fights.

Ash gave her a reassuring smile, "Two more rounds and I'm done, a quick knock out and a lose shouldn't be too hard to do." Ash only wanted to go two more rounds; there were maybe four or five fights he had left to fight in. With broken ribs, and the damage he would take in the following rounds would be proof enough that he had tried his hardest.

Alyssa wasn't sure what to think, it was logical of course, but since Ash was putting his health on the line for this it didn't seem like the right thing to do.

"That's true I suppose, but you're putting your health on the line tho. Isn't that a bit much?" She asked.

Ash gave her a small grin, "Aly I've put my life on the line more times then you could imagine. There's really nothing to be worried about."

Alyssa made a mental note to ask Ash about the other times he risked his life, "We better get your shirt the match is going to start in a minute or two," Alyssa replied sadly.

The duo made their way back into the medical tent and over to where Ashs shirt lay.

"Aly, I'm going to need you to help me over to the ring just in case; I don't want to tire myself out before the match even starts." Ash said as he pulled the black shirt over his head.

"Okay Ash, but if you even start to get to beat up, I'm going to go in there and stop the match!" Alyssa wouldn't allow Ash to be seriously hurt, if he was still planning on getting out, he would still need to be able to walk.

"No Aly, do not interfere with the match! If I start to get on the bad side of things, you know that if you interfere Giovanni isn't going to be happy, and if I know that you plan to try and stop the fight I won't be able to concentrate to my fullest." Ash was dead serious on all of this, if he knew that Alyssa was going to risk harming herself for him at any moment that would put both of them in jeopardy.

"But Ash I-" Alyssa was cut off by the announcer.

"Our next match will be between Ketchum," Ashs name was instantly followed by a chorus of booing and cursing, "And Carson!" The announcer exclaimed!

Ash gave Alyssa a reassuring smile, "Come on Aly, let's get over there and end this thing quickly!"

As they slowly made their way to the ring, they noticed something different. The referee and Ashs opponent were not the only ones in the ring; Giovanni was standing between the two. As the duo made it to the ring, Ash stepped cautiously between the ropes and into the ring.

The referee handed Giovanni a microphone.

"We are nearing the end of this tremendous event, so why not make this a little bit more interesting?" Giovanni stated for the crowd.

Ashs eyes narrowed, and he tensed as Giovanni said that.

"For the rest of the competition, the combatants will be issued a knife of their choosing, and the original rules will remain intact!" Giovanni had a dangerous smirk on his face as he turned his gaze to Ash.

Ash felt a chill run up his spine; they wanted him to fight with knives? He could barely stand up a few minutes ago! He turned around to see Alyssa whose face was ghost white, her blue eyes showed too many emotions, she was scared, worried, terrified and much more.

"Will both combatants follow me to choose your blade," The Referee said as he stepped out of the ring.

Ash turned his gaze to the Ref and slowly made his way after him. About five meters from the ring was a wooden table that had knives lain out in individual scabbards. Ash walked up to the table and examined the knives.

Carson however, walked up took the largest knife and walked back to the ring. Ash removed each of the knives from their scabbards and examined each one. He was looking for the perfectly balanced knife that would be able to block, slash, stab, and parry.

After ten minutes of going through the knives, he picked out a single edge knife with a black hilt and a thick 10' edged steel blade. Quickly running his thumb gently across the blade to check to see if it was sharp, satisfied that it was, he attached the scabbard to his shorts and made his way back to the ring.

As Ash stepped into the ring, he looked for Alyssa to give her a reassuring smile. Ash saw her just behind where he was standing. Ash gave her a smile and slight wave, as he turned to face his opponent.

Carson had light brown hair which was stylized in a bowl cut; he had a broken nose, a small cut on his cheek, cold brown eyes, and an 11' stiletto double bladed switchblade knife in his left hand.

Ash shook out the last of his nerves and switched his blade into his right hand and held it loosely.

The Referee stepped out of the ring with a wicked grin on his face, pulling out his cap gun and pulling the trigger. He let the blood shed begin.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash and Carson began to circle each other, Ash kept his right side pointed toward Carson to avoid any more injury to his damaged ribcage.

Carson lunged forward and sent an uppercut slash at Ash. Ash dodged the blade as it passed harmlessly over where his throat had been before. Ash stepped forward and swung a kick into Carson's gut. With him winded Ash quickly threw two right jabs into Carson's jaw.

Carson staggered, but quickly retaliated by faking a knife stroke at Ash followed by a right hook into Ashs ribcage.

Ash went to parry the knife, but was thrown off when Carson stopped the stroke and stepped into Ash and threw a hard right into his ribcage.

Ash fell to the ground and grasped his side in pain. The pain was excruciating, it was like the painkillers had never taken effect. Ash rolled to the right as Carson brought the knife down for a killing stroke.

Ash knew that right then and there he was fighting for his life.

Ignoring the pain in his side, he got up and held the knife more tightly then before. Carson lunged forward and swung a two diagonal strokes at Ash. Ash parried the first, and narrowly avoided the second stroke.

Ash waited for the next attack, he knew he would have to make the jump from defensive to offensive soon or else he was done for.

Carson slowly moved in on Ash trying to keep him cornered. Carson suddenly ran forward and swung a slash at Ash which caught him on the right side of his chest.

Ash cried out in pain as the blade tore cleanly through his shirt and across his chest. Ash could feel his warm blood soaking his shirt.

Carson swung a horizontal cut at the Ash; ducking out of the way, Ash swung his blade horizontally across Carson's knee caps.

Carson crumpled to the ground unable to stand as Ashs knife was driven deeply across his knees. Ash was beginning to feel a little light headed. Shakily moving over to Carson, Ash roughly flipped him on to his stomach pinned him down with his knees and took his knife hand and twisted it into a painful submission!

"YOU GOT TEN SECONDS TO QUIT OR ELSE YOUR ARM GETS SNAPPED!" Shouted Ash, Ash was minutes away from passing out, blood had started dripping from underneath his shirt and onto his legs.

Carson refused to give in so Ash twisted his arm almost an extra 180 degrees. A _crack_ sounded throughout the room as Carson's arm was snapped.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Alyssa watched as Ash took the knife across his chest. Instantly seeing that the blade tore through the shirt and drew blood Alyssa ran for the medical tent and grabbed Sue!

"Sue! Ash got cut! Hurry we need to get over there he's not going to last long out there!" Alyssa shouted worriedly.

Sue glanced around and beckoned for two of the other nurses to grab a stretcher. Sue, Alyssa, and the two nurses ran out of the tent and toward the ring.

"TEN SECONDS TO QUIT OR ELSE YOUR ARM GETS SNAPPED!" Alyssa heard Ash shout above the crowd. Pushing through the noisy crowd Alyssa saw Ash dripping blood onto Carson as he held his arm in a submission.

Seconds later Ash twisted his arm around and a snap was heard throughout the arena. Alyssa heard the cry of pain as Carson's arm was snapped, but her focus wasn't on that. As soon as Ash snapped his arm, he fell from his position on top of Carson and onto his side unmoving.

"ASH!" Alyssa roughly pushed through the remaining Grunts and quickly went through the ropes of the ring. Falling onto her knees, she flipped Ash over onto his back. She paled at how much blood was soaked into Ashs shirt.

Alyssa was pushed to the side as Sue and the two other nurses lifted Ash onto the stretcher and rushed him to the medical tent.

Alyssa took off after Sue and the nurses and ran into the medical tent. Sue and the nurses placed Ash onto one of the beds.

Sue took a knife and cut Ashs shirt from the collar down and examined the damage. Alyssa gasped at sight in front of her. Running down from just below his right shoulder to the bottom of his sternum was a deep gash that blood was freely flowing from.

She hadn't seen Ash in this bad of shape since they met, he had taken some bad beatings but nothing like this. The bandages that had been wrapped around his ribcage was now dark pink, she guessed that underneath the bandages it would be badly bruised.

"Alyssa please sit outside until we get Ash patched up, it's not going to be pretty." Sue replied seriously as she took out a syringe and injected it around the wound. Alyssa shakily turned away from where Ash was going to be sewn up and left the tent.

Leaving the tent she sat down on a chair that was outside the tent flap. Placing her elbows on her knees and her head into her hands she tried to stop her shaking.

'_Please be alright Ash, we've gone through too much now for it to end here. There's still so much we need to do together, so much you've told me about, I can't be the one to tell them what happened to you…' _Alyssa thought as more tears escaped her eyes.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash felt like his eye lids weighed 1000lb. slowly he peeled opened his eyes and took in the blurry surroundings. Ash went to lift his arms to rub his eyes, but stopped when he felt something tug against his skin. Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, Ash saw that his arms were connected to small tubes that connected to bags of liquids.

Ash looked around the dark room and realization dawned on him when he saw that he was in the infirmary. He was alone in the room, and judging that because the lights were off it was night time; all the other beds were made and looked as if they hadn't been slept in for a while.

Ash took the tubes that were attached to his arms and tore them off. Ash sat up and noticed that he did not have his shirt on, his eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the massive stitching he had on his chest.

Ash gently ran a finger across the black thread that held the lips of the wound together. It didn't hurt; he felt the left side of his ribcage and winced as pain shot through him. '_At least I know I'm not dreaming'_ Ash thought.

Ash carefully got off the bed and used it for support until he could locate his clothes.

After a minute of looking around the room, he spotted the box that he had gotten before the fight. Limping over to the box he let go a sigh of relief when he saw that the box contained an unripped black shirt.

Taking the shirt in his right hand he shrugged it over his shoulders and painfully slipped his left hand through the sleeve followed by his right. Lucky for Ash, he was still wearing his black shorts from the matches.

Ash walked over to his bed to see if his water bottle was over there, he was parched. He had no idea how long he had been out for. A couple hours, or maybe it could have been a week for all he knew.

Ash turned his turned his head to the door as he heard footsteps coming from outside the door. The door clicked opened and standing in the doorway was Alyssa with a tray of food in her hands.

Alyssa flipped on the light to the room and dropped her tray on the ground when she saw Ash. A smile broke out onto her face and she ran at Ash and threw her arms around him.

"Ash! Oh thank God you're finally awake!" Alyssa cried into his shoulder. Ash stood baffled as Alyssa cried into his shoulder. Ash gave Alyssa a gentle hug.

"What do you mean finally awake?" Ash asked curiously.

Alyssa pulled out of the hug and looked into Ashs eyes. "You've been out cold for three days! You lost a lot of blood and you've been resting!" Alyssa was overcome with relief that Ash was okay; she pulled him back into another hug.

"It's been three days? Shouldn't I be on my way to the other Academy right now?" Ash asked in disbelief! He couldn't believe it had been three days, it seemed like only a few hours ago he had fought in his first match!

"No, you aren't going for another few days; you lost too much blood to be risked being moved far away, and you aren't nearly recovered enough to be sent off somewhere where they'll train you a lot harder than here!" Alyssa smiled as she let Ash out of the hug.

"What time is it Aly?" Ash asked.

"Almost three in the morning, you should go back to sleep if your still planning on going tomorrow night!" Alyssa said softly as she sat him down on the bed.

"Why are you up this late Alyssa? Shouldn't you be asleep as well?" Ash asked, the fact that it was three in the morning and she was still up was odd. Alyssa liked to get as much sleep as she could.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow at him, "Because I've been so worried about you, Sue thought you would have woken up a couple of hours after you passed out. But when you didn't we got worried and I haven't gotten much sleep since."

"I'm sorry I made you worry about me, I shouldn't have continued fighting after I got my ribs broken." Ash said guiltily. The fact that Alyssa lost sleep over him didn't sit well with his conscious.

Alyssa gave him a smile, "It's fine Ash, your reasoning behind it was more than true. I don't blame you at all," A scowl came across her face at what she said next.

"I do however blame Giovanni for issuing knives into the fight, you could have been killed. He really is scum isn't he?" Alyssa said bitterly.

Ash lay back on his bed and gave Alyssa a questioning look. "Did anyone get, you know killed afterwards or is it just injuries?"

"The only reason Giovanni put knives into the match were for when you fought, as soon as you were out of the tournament he removed knives and said it was '_Because he was concerned for the safety of the other fighters!' _ So to answer your question, no, No one got killed afterwards._" _Alyssa said angrily.

"I think we should get some sleep Aly, you go back to your room and I will see you in a couple hours alright?" Ash said changing the subject.

"Alright, see you soon," She said as Ash gave her a smile and closed his eyes. Alyssa walked past the tray on the ground, and turned around to take a look at the soon to be sleeping figure on the bed.

"Good night Ash," She said softly as she turned off the light to the infirmary.

"Good night Alyssa" Ash called back. The door to the infirmary clicked closed and Ash drifted off into sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[11PM The Next Day]**

Two best friends made their way down one of the many hallways of the Team Rocket Training Academy. The two would usually be laughing, smiling, and enjoying each others company. But not this night, tonight the air around them was tense, sad, happy, and nervous.

They took a right and stopped outside a pair of doors that led to the girl's dormitory. The raven haired boy and the blonde haired girl turned to look at each other.

Ash let out a sad sigh, "Well Alyssa…" Ash trailed off sadly, he hated goodbyes.

Alyssa couldn't think of anything to say, they had just spent their last day together and tonight Ash would be attempting the breakout.

"Ash I…" She didn't know what to say, a tear escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheek. Ash noticed immediately and wiped away the tear, followed by him pulling her into a gentle hug.

"Don't cry Aly, everything's going to be fine." Ash said softly into her ear.

Alyssa wrapped her arms tightly around Ashs neck, to avoid touching his broken ribcage.

"I know Ash, it's just…It's not going to be the same without you, and I'm not going to be there to help you when you get in trouble!" Alyssa's voice was muffled as she buried her face into Ashs shoulder.

"We'll find a way to stay in contact, and once you're in the field we should be able to see each other more often!" Ash said trying to cheer up his upset friend.

"But that won't be for another two years or so…"Alyssa trailed of as more tears escaped her eyes.

Ash went to pull out of the hug but was stopped when Alyssa didn't let go. Smiling to himself he went back and returned to their hug.

"You should head back to your room Aly, its best you don't know when I leave. Although I think you'll hear when the alarm goes off…" Ash trailed off.

Alyssa slowly pulled out of the hug and gave Ash a sad smile, "I'm really going to miss you Ash…" Alyssa didn't want to see Ash go, but it was either this or him being sent to a different Academy.

"I'm going to miss you too Aly, but we'll see each other again soon I promise!" Ash said giving her his toothy smile.

Alyssa smiled back, "Alright Ash I-" Alyssa stopped as she remembered something. "Ash hang on I forgot something!" She said as she opened the door to the dormitory and ran inside.

Ash stared at the door confused, he had to get ready and Alyssa just takes off? What's up with that?

Three minutes passed and Alyssa reappeared with a bundle wrapped in cloth. "Here Ash, I think you might need this for later!" Alyssa said seriously, handing him the bundle.

"What is it?" Ash asked as he unwound the cloth. After unwinding the cloth, Ash pulled out a sheathed knife. After a second, he realized that this was the knife he had used in the tournament.

"Where did you get this!" Ash asked quietly, looking up from the knife to Alyssa.

"When Sue pushed me out of the way to get you on the stretcher, I landed by the knife. Everyone was staring at you so I grabbed it and immediately took off after Sue!" Alyssa replied looking around to make sure no one was watching or eavesdropping.

Ash brought his gaze back down to the knife in his hands, after a second he attached the scabbard to his side and looked back at Alyssa.

Ash stepped forward and brought her into a tight hug, "Thank you for everything Aly, I wouldn't be here without you! I'm going to miss you so much!" Ash said softly, a tear going down his cheek.

Alyssa reciprocated the hug and they stood there for five minutes. Ash gently pulled out of the hug and looked into Alyssa's eyes smiling. "I'll see you soon right?" He asked.

"Right!" She said. Alyssa pulled Ash into one last hug. Pulling out of the hug they stood there in silence.

"Good bye Ash…" Alyssa said sadly.

"Good bye Alyssa, I'll see you again soon…" Ash said giving her one last smile as he turned around and walked down the hall.

Alyssa watched as Ash walked away, she stood there well after he had turned the corner and disappeared. Alyssa let a sad smile and a tear comedown her cheek.

'_Good luck Ash, I'm going to miss you…'_ Alyssa thought as she turned around and left the hallway.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash immediately returned to his room, locking the door behind him he sat down on his bed and let a few tears escape. He usually wouldn't do this, but if he didn't get his mind off this the entire attempt would be futile.

He had to be completely focused or else he wouldn't be able to summon his Aura. Over the last year and a half or so, he had spent countless nights staying up late to get his Aura under control. He was nowhere near mastering it, but he could summon his Aura and possibly use it as a weapon.

He had to be completely calm, and focused tho.

Ash took deep breaths and calmed himself. He stood up and began stretching, he made sure to stretch very lightly so that he didn't injure his side anymore then it was.

Ash finished stretching and closed his eyes. He began to clear his mind of all his thoughts and memories, past, present, and future. Slowly he could feel something deep with in him. Calming himself even more he could feel the Aura within him strengthen.

Eyes still closed, Ash raised his hands in front of him, his palms facing outward. Ash centered his Aura and a glowing blue orb flicked and disappeared in front of his hands. Ash opened his eyes and spread his legs apart for balance.

Taking a deep breath, he set his face into a determined look. Ash shut his eyes again and centered his Aura; the blue sphere reappeared and lit the small room with a blue hue. A smile appeared on Ashs face as the sphere disappeared and the lighting returned to normal.

Ash went over to his dresser and changed into the outfit he wore during the competition. Clipping the knife to his side, Ash opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a thin sheet of plastic. Looking to make sure it wasn't bent he set it on top of his drawer and sat back down onto his bed.

It was still a bit early to make the break out, so he waited on his bed, taking deep breaths to keep himself calm.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[1:30AM]**

Ash got up from his bed and did a very quick stretch, grabbing the thin sheet of plastic Ash quietly left his room. Ash silently jogged to the cafeteria, luckily for him he hadn't run into any Rockets on the way down.

Ash took out the thin piece of plastic and slid it through the crack between the two doors to the cafeteria. The plastic stopped as it hit the lock holding the two doors together. Ash twisted the door knob and moved the plastic up and down diagonally until he heard a satisfying click.

Smirking Ash slowly entered the pitch black cafeteria. Closing the door behind him he searched the wall aimlessly for the light switch. After a minute of searching he felt the switch and flipped it on.

After his eyes adjusted to the light, Ash locked the door to the cafeteria and jumped over the counter into the kitchen. Looking around the kitchen, Ash saw a broom, and a chair. Ash also noticed plugged into the wall was a blender with a fairly large cord. Ash walked over to the broom and tossed it over the counter toward the door. Walking up to the blender Ash pulled the cord out from the wall and pulled out his knife.

Ash swung the knife down on the cord and severed it from the blender, feeling a quick jolt of electricity as he did so.

'_Haven't felt something like that in a while!'_ Ash thought to himself, a smile coming across his face. Ash took the cord and tossed it over the counter and walked over to the chair and carefully placed it over the counter, followed quickly by himself.

Ash stole a glance at the clock, it read _1:48_. Ash grabbed the broom and cord, Ash placed the broom horizontally across the two door handles. Making sure it was secure, Ash took the cord and wrapped it around the two door handles, and the broom; making sure to tie it off tightly at the end.

Ash grabbed the chair and tilted it under the door so that the backside was jammed under the door handles. Satisfied that the door would take some time to get through, he walked through the rows of tables and to the third last window from the left.

The window was a foot or two above Ashs head, and would be a tight squeeze; but he would fit.

Ash took a step back and took another glance at the clock. _1:53_. Ash took a deep breath and raised his hands. Ash closed his eyes and focused his Aura; he could feel the power coursing through him. The blue sphere appeared and flickered repeatedly until it stabilized.

Ash waited until he knew he had his Aura fully under control. Ash snapped open his eyes and pulled his arms back, quickly thrusting his hands forward the Aura Sphere shot forward and into the iron bars of the window.

A small plume of dust surrounded the window, blocking Ashs view of the damage; Ash stole another glance at the clock _1:57_.

Ash turned back to the window and saw that the bars were dented. Ash focused his Aura again and formed another Aura Sphere. Pulling it back, he shot it forward. This time one of the two bars flew off into the courtyard onto the other side.

Ash focused his Aura, but before he had the opportunity to form another sphere, the alarm went off.

"_We have a security breach in Sector 2 Room 117! All personnel report and neutralize the threat!"_ A female voice announced over the PA System.

"Shit!" Ash muttered furiously under his breath!

Ash tried to focus his Aura, but instead of it forming the Sphere, all it did was flicker in front of him.

Ash needed to calm down. If he didn't, it would very well be the end for him, his life, his chances at escape, friends, family, everything.

Ash closed his eyes; he dismissed all thoughts from his head. He began to form an Aura sphere and was about to fire when he heard the door trying to be forced open. The sphere flickered, but remained. Ash ignored the sounds and brought his full attention to the problem at hand.

The Aura Sphere formed and Ash fired at the window, without waiting to see the damage Ash formed another and shot it at the window!

Ash turned around when he heard someone from the other side of the door shout "_Grab a Pokemon to break this thing down!"_

Ash looked to the window and saw the other bar was destroyed. Ash didn't waste another second. Ash ran up and grabbed the window sill with both hands and pulled himself up, the pain burned through his side as he pulled.

Ash began to pull himself out through the window. On the other side of the window was a large grass field that was surrounded by a metal fence, past the fence was the lining of the forest.

Ash stopped when he felt a tremor run through the building. Looking through the small space between his body and the window, Ash saw the door to the cafeteria fly across the room, and slide to a halt.

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Ash shouted as he pushed with all his strength to force himself through the tight window.

"Grab Him!" Someone shouted!

Ashs feet were still in the cafeteria, while the upper part of Ash was clean through the window! Ash pushed and squirmed with all his might to get through. Finally Ash got his waist through the window and he tumbled to the ground beneath him. It was a ten foot drop, which Ash landed painfully on his side.

Ash muttered something as he hit the ground. Getting up ignoring the pain in his side Ash made a full out sprint across the courtyard. Ash pumped his legs as fast as he could.

"Get Him!" Someone shouted! Ash kept running, but turned his gaze to where he heard the voice. Sprinting towards Ash were three dog like Pokemon with jet black fur, a red snout, curved horns on its head, and a skinny black tail with an arrow head tip.

'_Houndoom!'_ Ash thought as he turned his gaze back in front of him.

Ash was 50 meters away from the fence. Ash could hear the sound of the rapidly approaching Pokemon.

Two meters away, Ash jumped at the chain linked fence, seconds later Ash felt something pass through the air where he had just been. Ash climbed as fast as he could, he stole a glance to the left to see the Houndoom about to unleash a flamethrower.

Ash dove off the top of the fence and onto the other side as he felt his legs suddenly heat up. Ash didn't stop to look behind him; he could here shouts, and alarms going off. But he ran with every ounce of strength he had.

Adrenaline pumping, Ash sprinted across the open field and into the forest. Not stopping, Ash swerved, jumped, and ducked under all the shrubs, stumps, and fallen trees in front of him. Ash heard something behind him, turning his gaze for a split second he saw a Houndoom trailing him through the trees; closing the distance on him fairly quick.

Ash ran to his left, getting cut by all the bushes he was pushing through, Ash pushed through a large bush only to feel heat pass behind him. Ash ran straight forward, his eyes widened at what was to come. Ash couldn't make out how far the fall of the cliff would be. Ash turned his gaze quickly behind him; the Houndoom was just meters behind him.

Ash had put everything on the line for this moment. Risk a quick painless death right here and now for freedom, or be slowly killed and tortured by Team Rocket. Ash chose the former.

Ash ran with all his might, the Houndoom at his heel. Ash was meters away from the cliff. With a few feet left, Ash put the rest of his energy into running, and leapt off the cliff.

Ash somersaulted through the air, into the darkness. Tumbling into whatever fate lied beneath him.

Ashs life flashed before his eyes, his friends, family, Pokemon, people he met on his journey, every league he entered before flashed by him in the course of a few seconds.

A few more seconds of free falling Ash hit the bottom. Ash fell straight into the watery depths. As soon as he hit the water, it felt like he landed on pavement. It felt like his bones shattered as the air was driven from his lungs.

Ash kicked his legs as hard as he could to try and surface, they screamed in pain as they protested the movements. After what seemed like an eternity he broke through to the surface and sucked in as much air as he could.

Gasping, he looked to see how far he had fallen. It must have been a good hundred plus feet, from the top of the cliff. Ash kicked through the water and after a minute he was sprawled out on the dirt of the forest.

Ash laid there for minutes as he recovered his strength and breath. 15 Minutes later, Ash picked himself painfully off the ground and continued his way through the forest away from the cliff. Ash could hear voices far off in the distance as he continued through the bumpy terrain.

A few hours passed and he was well into the forest, he couldn't keep going. He looked around and found a hollow tree hidden behind a rocky outcrop. Crawling into the tree, Ash took out his knife and laid it beside him.

Ash gratefully closed his eyes, "I'm finally free…Finally free…" Ash said to himself as he drifted into sleep.

_**[End Flashback]**_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The room was silent, nobody knew what to say. They just looked at Ash in astonishment, amazement, disbelief, sadness, the list goes on.

"That's how I got out, I honestly don't know how I survived that far. But once I hit Ecruteak City, I decided to go to Goldenrod. On the way there I realized I didn't have a Pokemon so I racked through my brain and then it hit me. Charizard wasn't far away, so I decided to head to the Charific Valley." Ash said to break the silence.

"So what did you do after you went to Charizard, and what about Alyssa?" Brock asked. He was still slightly in awe at Ash; he couldn't believe his best friend had gone through so much!

"Alyssa is fine; I stay in contact with her every now and then. As for what I did after I got Charizard there is quite a bit. But I'll tell you what I've told mom and Misty." Ash said. Looking at his Pokemon, Brock, Tracey, and the Professor.

Ash went on retelling the group about how he got Charizard, his name change in Orre, and the Coliseums he competed in.

After he finished retelling those stories, Ash took a look at the clock on the wall.

"Well, I think that's enough of this for now, we've been at this for more than a couple hours!" Ash laughed. It was 9PM and he was rather tired.

"I guess we should get something to eat and get going before it gets to dark," Brock said getting up from the couch.

The group got up and stretched their stiff muscles from sitting for so long. Ash turned to his Pokemon. "I'll come see you all around noon tomorrow alright?" Ash asked.

The Pokemon cheered in delight!

Ash turned to Charizard, "Charizard do you want to stay here for the night so you don't need to sleep in your Pokeball?" Ash asked the fire type. Charizard grunted and motioned for the other Pokemon to follow.

"See you all tomorrow!" Ash called out as he waved to the departing Pokemon. Soon it was only the humans, Pikachu, and Growlithe left in the once crowded room.

The group went to the lobby and said their goodbyes. The group of Delia, Brock, Misty, Ash, Growlithe and Pikachu who was sitting atop of Growlithe made their way back to the Ketchum residence.

Closing the door behind them, they all sat down and relaxed. Excluding Ash.

"I think I'm going to turn in for the night, I'm rather tired after today!" Ash said suppressing a yawn.

"Alright Ash, you'll be sleeping in your room right?" Delia asked her son.

"Yup, come on Growlithe. Are you ready for bed Pikachu or do you want to stay up longer?" Ash asked his small electric buddy.

Pikachu smiled at Ash and hopped up onto his shoulder. "Pika Pikapi!" Pikachu said cheerfully!

"Good night you guys!" Ash said waving to the group on the couch.

The three made their way up the stairs and into Ashs old room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As soon as Ash, Pikachu, and Growlithe were out of site, Delia, Brock, and Misty broke into conversation.

"I feel so bad for Ash, he went through so much! I can't imagine what it would be like to actually go through all that!" Misty said shaking her head.

"I know sweety, he must be stronger then he looks if he managed to get through all that!" Delia said.

"All I know is that we shouldn't get on his bad side!" Brock said seriously looking at the two women.

There was silence between them as they thought about what Brock said. After what Ash had told them, they'd hate to get on Ashs bad side.

The three continued talking for another two hours before they decided to turn in.

Brock and Delia were the first to leave. Misty decided to wait a while longer so she could get a snack to eat before sleeping. After a quick snack, Misty made her way upstairs. As she made it to the top of the stairs, she saw Ashs door was open.

Quietly peeking in, she smiled at the site of Ash sleeping. Ash was too tall for his bed so he was curled up with Pikachu close against him, while his Growlithe was lying sprawled out at the end of Ashs bed keeping his feet warm.

Quietly closing his door so she didn't wake him, she made her way to her room and changed into her pajamas. Once dressed, she shut off her light and slipped under the covers. Slowly she drifted off into sleep thinking over what she had learned about Ash that day.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misty awoke the next morning, glancing at the clock it was 6AM. She had always been an early riser. Scooting out from under the covers, she stood up and stretched. Yawning she made her way over to the door and pulled it open and stepped into the hall.

Rubbing her eyes her jaw dropped open at what she saw. The door to the bathroom opened and out walked Ash with nothing more than a white towel wrapped around his waist. She immediately took in Ashs appearance, wet blonde hair, the large muscled arms, chiselled six pack and chest, and the scar.

As much as she wanted to take in the rest of his body, she couldn't take her eyes off the scar.

"You okay Mist?" Ash asked, Misty was standing at the other end of the hall unmoving and staring at him.

Misty slowly made her way over to him and stopped in front of him.

"Ash where'd you get that?" She asked quietly as she stared at the scar.

"Remember what I said about me getting cut in that fight. Well the cut left the scar in its place." Ash said.

Misty wasn't sure what made her do it, but she slowly raised her hand and gently brushed it down the large scar.

Ash wasn't sure what Misty was doing, but when she gently brought her warm hands down across his chest, a warm tingly feeling quickly came through him.

"Uhh Mist…" Ash trailed off, he wasn't sure what to do.

Misty looked up into Ashs brown eyes and instantly a thought popped into her head, "Ash, how do you keep changing your eye color, they were blue before and now they're brown again?" Misty asked.

Ash looked at her curiously, but answered her question. "Well once I got Charizard, Liza told me I should change my appearance so I bleached my hair, and she also gave me the idea of getting colored contacts."

Misty gazed into Ashs eyes, she wasn't sure but she felt like she forgot something. After a second she remembered. She remembered the promise she made to herself. She promised herself that if Ash did ever return, she would tell him her feelings for him. That she loved him.

Ash stared blankly at Misty, they were standing in the hallway and he was dripping water onto the carpeted floor. She was standing a foot in front of him and she had run a hand softly down his chest. Ash didn't know what to do, he needed to get changed but he didn't want to be rude.

"Are you okay Misty?" Ash asked curiously.

Misty snapped out of her thoughts and took a hesitant step toward Ash, so that their faces were inches apart.

Ashs heart hammered at how close she was, he could feel her warm breath come across his chest.

"Ash, I…" Misty trailed off. She wanted to tell him, but he had just returned and she didn't want something to drive him off somewhere else.

"What is it Misty?" Ash asked softly but curiously.

Misty stared into his eyes and saw nothing but kindness, warmth, caring, and a little bit of curiosity in them.

"Ash I, I n-need to tell you something…"She was nervous, her heart was pounding loudly and quickly in her chest. She was surprised that it didn't wake up the entire house.

Ash gave her a reassuring smile "You know you can tell me anything Mist, no need to be nervous!" Ash said reassuringly.

'_That's what you think…'_ Misty thought.

Taking a deep breath, she went for the plunge. "Well, before you left and right now in fact. I, well sort of alwa-" Misty was cut off by the doorbell.

Ash snapped his head behind him "Are you expecting anyone Misty?" Ash asked cautiously.

Misty was slightly angry that someone interrupted her confession, but seeing Ash get cautious made her a little nervous.

"No Ash why?" She asked.

"Go answer the door; I'm going to get changed. And remember, I'm not here so act as if nothing changed!" Ash said seriously.

Misty looked at Ash and then the stairs. Ash gave her a nod and quickly went into his room, closing the door behind him. Misty turned her gaze to the stairs, and hesitantly made her way down the steps and to the front door.

Misty's heart was pounding, she wasn't sure why but seeing Ash get so serious so quickly made her nervous. Shakily she unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"MISTY!" Squealed two female voices!

Misty was quickly enveloped into a tight bear hug by two girls. The taller of the two wore a green bandana tied around her long brown hair, a tight orange sleeveless t-shirt with a black collar that fit her slim figure nicely, black bike shorts, and a pair of red and white sneakers. Her blue eyes sparkled with happiness.

The shorter of the two, wore a white beanie with a pink pokeball printed on the front over her long blue hair, she wore a short pink skirt, with a sleeveless black tank top with a white V-neck underneath.

"May, Dawn what are you doing here?" Misty exclaimed in surprise!

The two girls pulled out of the hug with grins on their faces.

"We decided to take time off and surprise Delia, you and Brock with a visit for Christmas!" May smiled cheerfully!

"Yeah so we took the SS Anne from Johto to Kanto, and now we're here!" Dawn smiled excitedly!

Misty had a smile break out across her face! "Come on in! Brock and Delia are still asleep, and...So is Pikachu." Misty finished. Her smile faded as she remembered Ash was upstairs.

"Okay great! Dawn and I will bring our bags into Ashs room and then we can get breakfast made for the others!" May said cheerfully!

Before Misty could stop them, the two perky girls rushed up stairs. Misty bolted up the stairs and saw Dawn about to open Ashs door.

"No! Don't go in there!" Misty shouted. The two girls looked curiously at Misty; ignoring her plea they opened the door and walked in.

Misty shot after the two and into Ashs room! Her eyes went wide at what she saw.

"Hey Pikachu it's great to see you again!" Dawn squealed as she picked up the smiling electric type from the bed. Misty looked around the room, the bed was made, a little ruffled from where Pikachu was laying, the pictures, desk and everything else was exactly where it was supposed to be.

But no Ash.

After Dawn said hello to Pikachu, Pikachu hopped over into Mays arms and nuzzled his face into her cheek in greetings. After the hellos were said, May and Dawn went downstairs to prepare breakfast, leaving a bewildered Misty, and a happy Pikachu in Ashs room.

"Pikachupi pi ka kachu Pikapi!" Pikachu said running over to the desk and pointed to a small piece of paper on top.

Misty followed Pikachu over to the desk and took the piece of paper, reading what was written on it.

_Misty, left due to unseen difficulties. Be back later.-Shay._

Misty looked away from the paper and down at Pikachu, keeping her voice low she asked "Did Ash write this Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded.

"How did he get out?" Misty asked confused at the situation.

Pikachu ran over to the window in Ashs room and pointed at it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[A few Minutes Earlier]**

Ash stepped into his room and unzipped his bag quickly, he pulled out a change of clothes, dark blue jeans, black t-shirt, and his colored contacts. Quickly slipping into his outfit, Ash put the contacts into his eyes.

"MISTY" Ash heard called out from downstairs. '_I know those voices…' _Ash thought. Ash lightly ran over to Growlithe and Pikachu.

Gently waking his sleeping Pokemon, Ash took out Growlithes Pokeball. "Growlithe we have to get out of here now!" Ash said urgently. Without hesitation Growlithe got up from its sleep and touched the red and white capsule with its noes.

Ash went to his desk and opened one of the drawers and took out a pen and small piece of paper, quickly writing something on it he signed it off and placed it on the desk.

Ash grabbed his bag and opened the window, tossing his bag out the window Ash looked quickly at Pikachu who was watching curiously.

"I'll be back real soon buddy, tell Misty about the note on the desk okay!" Ash said to Pikachu.

Pikachu nodded, and Ash turned out the window and climbed out. Perching on the outside of the window sill, Ash pulled the window closed, and jumped to the snow covered ground rolling to help break his fall.

Ash snuck around the back of the house and heard a shout from inside, Ash leapt over the railing of the back porch and got down on his stomach. Peering inside, he caught sight of two girls entering the kitchen chatting to each other.

Ash silently went back to the side of his house where his window was and leaned against it. Pursing his lips he thought about how he could handle this situation.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misty took another look at the note and realized it was signed off as Shay. "Come on Pikachu!" Misty said as she left the room.

Going down the hall she went straight to Delias room, quietly opening the door to her room. The walls of the room were painted a light shade of yellow, the walls were lined with pictures of Ash, Delia, Misty, Brock, and all of Ashs other friends.

There was a dresser had two vases that contained a beautifully assorted amount of colorful flowers. Misty crept over to Delia and gently shook her awake.

Delia slowly opened her eyes and saw Misty. "Misty what is it?" Delia asked groggily.

"Ashs gone Mrs. K" Misty said.

"WHAT!" Delia shouted as she shot up from her bed in a panic.

'_Oops, not the best choice of words…'_ Misty thought. "It's okay Mrs. K! He will be back later, but May and Dawn showed up so he had to get out of here!" Misty said quickly and reassuringly.

Delias heart was hammering, "Misty you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Delia said catching her breath. The thought that Ash just disappeared in the middle of the night wasn't something she wanted to think about!

"I'm sorry, but he left a note, and he signed it off as Shay, so I don't think he wants to let May and Dawn know who he is right away!" Misty said seriously.

"Okay Misty, what are Dawn and May doing here tho?" Delia asked slightly confused. She loved the two girls to bits, but couldn't think of a reason they'd show up.

"The wanted to surprise us with a visit for Christmas, and boy they sure did!" Misty chuckled sheepishly.

"Well I guess I better get up and go say hello then shouldn't I? Oh and are you going to get Brock up as well?" Delia asked.

"Will do! Mrs. K, but how do you think Ash is going to handle this?" Misty asked, the way Ash had revealed himself the previous two times, to her and Delia, and then afterwards to Brock, Tracey, and Prof. Oak were all quite something.

"I'm not sure, but it's going to be something that's for sure!" Delia said as she pulled herself out of her bed.

"Alright I'm going to wake Brock up, I'll see you downstairs in a bit." Misty said as she left Delias room and went to the second guest room.

Misty woke Brock up, but made sure to choose her words more carefully then how she woke up Delia. Explaining the situation, Brock and Misty headed downstairs to have an early breakfast with the others. May and Dawn informed them of their travels to Unova, where a new branch of contests were being held.

"Unova sure is something, so many new Pokemon there; it sure is beautiful right Dawn?" May asked taking a bite of her omelet.

"Yeah it sure is, Misty you should take a break from the gym and travel with us for a while. There's a city much like Goldenrod over there entirely for shopping!" Dawn squealed in delight!

"As much as I'd love to go, it just wouldn't work out so well. The gym has gotten a lot busier. With the Indigo League finishing last month, they're getting the gyms prepped for next year's League, and not to mention all of the water shows we host at the gym!" Misty said as she took a drink of her orange juice.

Before anyone could reply, the doorbell rang, Misty, Brock, and Delia stared at each other. It was only around 7 in the morning and they wouldn't be expecting anyone. So it could only be one person.

"I guess we should go answer it?" Misty shrugged as she, and the others got up from the table. Walking to over to the front door, Misty turned the door knob and opened the door. Standing in the door frame was a smiling Ash.

"Misty it's great to see you again!" Ash stepped in and took Misty into a quick hug. Misty was slightly puzzled, but decided to go along with it.

"It's uh nice to see you to…Shay?" She replied uncertainly. Ash met her eyes and gave her a look to play along.

"Hello there Mrs. Ketchum it's lovely to see you again!" Ash said as he pulled out of Misty and his hug, and went over to Delia.

Delia smiled, but found it odd because he had called her Mrs. Ketchum instead of mom. "It's great to see you to Shay!" Delia said faux cheerfully.

Brock decided to play along, "Hello there Shay, my names Brock. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet." Brock said putting out his hand. Ash smiled and shook Brocks hand.

"It's a pleasure Brock!" Ash said as he turned to the brunette and blunette. "Hello there,"

"Hello Shay, my names May!

"And I'm Dawn!" They said cheerfully.

"It's great to meet you both!"

"So Shay what brings you here?" Brock asked trying to find out how Ash had this planned.

"Well Misty invited me over for Christmas, and it's always great to catch up with her and Delia, with all the travelling I do!" Ash said cheerfully.

"Are you a Pokemon trainer?" Dawn asked. She couldn't help but like what she saw from this Shay guy, it seemed like he had a good personality, and he didn't look too bad either!

"Indeed I am, how about you guys?" Ash asked.

"How about we get back to breakfast before we start talking!" Misty coaxed!

The group agreed and returned to the kitchen, Ash pulled up a spare chair to the table and they began talking.

"Well May and I are top Coordinators, right now we are competing to get into the Unova Grand Festival!" Dawn said as she went back to eating.

"Top Coordinators eh? Must have won a couple Grand Festivals then?"

"Yup, We've each won once!" May replied.

Misty was about to say something, but May cut in. "So how do you and Misty know each other?" May asked inquisitively.

Ash smiled, "Misty and I have almost known each other for about eight years now right?" Ash asked, turning to Misty.

"Oh yeah, something like that." Misty said simply.

"So are you two together?" Dawn asked bluntly.

Misty turned a deep shade of red, while Ash had a puzzled look come across his face.

"What do you mean together?" Ash asked. Everyone sweat dropped at Ash.

'_At least he hasn't changed completely…'_ Misty thought.

"You know, are you to going out. Like dating?" Dawn asked, she couldn't help but wonder if he was free. He had a good attitude, good personality, and she couldn't help but feel he was somewhat familiar.

May wasn't far from Dawns thoughts, she was already in a relationship with Drew, but she couldn't help feel that she knew Shay from somewhere.

Ash felt his cheeks go little pink, why did he come back if they were just going to start this again. "Misty and I? No we've known each other for too long, were just really good friends." Ash replied.

Misty felt a pang of disappointment when he said that, _'Maybe I should just move on, he doesn't feel anything he probably has something with that Alys-_' Mistys thoughts were cut off as Dawn replied.

"Then why did you blush?" Dawn asked.

Ash blushed a deeper shade of pink, at a loss for words; he said the only thing that seemed plausible. "I didn't blush!" Ash mumbled quickly putting his head down, before the others saw the blush come across his face.

Dawn raised an eyebrow at him; she could see something was there so she decided not to press the matter. Misty on the other hand felt her heart lift a bit at Ashs actions. He was uncomfortable with the situation which meant he might feel something.

"Shay are you sure we haven't met before?" May asked. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but they did know each other. From where tho, she wasn't sure.

Ash looked up; the group could tell he was thinking something over. The long moment of silence confirmed Mays suspicion and Dawn could now see that they had indeed met before.

"Where have we met before Shay?" May asked suspiciously her eyes narrowing. Ash pursed his lips and he continued to think. Taking a quick glance at Misty, Brock, and his mom in hopes for some help, he sighed in defeat as each of them shrugged.

Ash cleared his throat. "Maybe we should move to the living room before I answer your question," Ash said. He had a slight idea of how he was going to play this out.

"Okay lets go," Misty said as she got up from the table rather quickly. Before the rest got up, Ash began taking the others plates.

"There's no need to do that Shay, we can get those done later!" Delia said a little nervously.

"It's fine mom, I'll just put them in the sink for now." Ash said. May and Dawn froze, _'Mom…' _they thought.

Staring wide eyed at Ash, May broke the quick silence. "A-Ash…" May asked not believe this for a second.

"It's me May…" Ash said softly, the reason Ash took the plates was because he knew what could happen when May gets angry. He didn't like the thought of her having forks and knives around her.

Dawn leapt up from her chair, knocking it backward and ran at Ash throwing her arms around him. "Ash! W-We missed you so much, wha-what happened to you?" She cried into his shoulder. Ash placed his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.

"I missed you to Dawn; I'll tell you what happened in a little bit. This is a lot for you to take in isn't it?" Ash asked softly. He felt Dawn nod against his shoulder. After a few minutes she let go of Ash and a smile came across her face, as she looked at her best friend for the first time in years.

As soon as Dawn let go, Ash had the wind knocked out of him as he was tackled to the ground!

"Ash I've missed you so much, I can't believe it's you! Where have you been it hasn't been the same without you?" May cried as she held Ash in a tight hug on the kitchen floor. Ash put his arms around her and held her softly.

"It's alright May, I'm back and I'm not going anywhere so don't you worry!" Ash said softly as he held the tearful girl in his arms.

May got up from Ash and let him get up from the ground. The two relieved girls took Ash in a hug together and held him there.

"So do you guys want to know where I've been?" Ash asked softly, he was going to tell them what he had told the others. It wasn't going to be as hard the second time around because he had told it the other day.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The two girls nodded and the group left to the living room where Ash retold his story. Nearing just after noon, Ash had finished telling his two friends the events that occurred while he was gone.

Dawn and May had tears in their eyes, "Ash, I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, I thought we had it rough, but you! You had it a thousand times worse!" May said as she stared at Ash sadly.

"It's fine May, what's done is done. It was tough, and still is, but everything is fine now." Ash said to the sad girl.

"Ash how did you manage to get through all that?" Dawn asked, she was awestruck by Ash, she hated that he disappeared, it was the worst day of her life, but to find out how many risks he had gone through made him even more of a hero in her books!

"I honestly don't know Dawn, the main reason was because of Alyssa, and without her I wouldn't even be here right now." Ash replied.

The group sat in silence when Ash remembered something. "How about we all head up to the lab, promised that I've go up and visit the Pokemon, and I can answer more of your questions." Ash suggested.

The group agreed and waited while Brock, Misty and Delia showered. Once they were done, Ash went upstairs and got Pikachu who had been dozing peacefully. The group headed up to the lab, and went out back to the Pokemon Habitat.

"Pikachu do you want to go find the others for me?" Ash asked his electric partner.

"Pi Pikapi!" Pikachu answered, Pikachu was about to take off when it remembered something. "Pika chuchu pi chu ka!" Pikachu asked Ash.

Ash smiled; reaching down to his belt he unclipped two of his three pokeballs. Tossing the balls in the air, the red beams of light produced Growlithe, and a brown Pokemon with long creme colored segmented arms and legs, with three fingers and three claw-like toes, and large almond shaped eyes.

"Ash you have a Hitmonlee!" Brock asked surprised!

"Hitmonlee, everyone here is our friends; I'd like you to go along with Growlithe and Pikachu there to meet the rest of my Pokemon!" Ash said to the fighting type. Hitmonlee nodded to Ash and gestured for Pikachu to lead the way.

Ash turned to look at Brock, "When I came through Johto to get to Kanto, I had to go through a large cave, passing through a Tyrogue thought I looked like a worthy opponent so he challenged me to a battle."

"I was surprised, usually a Pokemon like that would run away. But instead this one decided to fight. So after the battle it asked to join me, so it could find new challengers to fight against, I told him of the risks that would involve coming with me but that only made him want to join more." Ash said to the group.

"Wow," was all Brock said.

Ashs group of Pokemon assembled, and they spent time catching up with Ash, when a thought crossed Ashs mind. "Hey guys, have you guys trained at all since I was gone?" Ash asked.

All of his Pokemon nodded enthusiastically, "That's great to hear, how bout we get some good old training in?" Ash asked excitedly! The Pokemon more than willingly got into groups and begun to spar with each other while Ash went around and watched how much his Pokemon had improved.

"Looking good Buizel! Nice razor leaf Bulbasaur! Awesome speed Infernape!" Ash said as he went around his Pokemon. After an hour or so the Pokemon took a break from training and relaxed in a clearing.

Ash looked around and saw Hitmonlee chatting to Sceptile, Ash walked over and chatted with the Pokemon.

"That was some good work out the Sceptile, I'm really proud of how much you've improved. But do you mind if I borrow Hitmonlee so I can get some practice of my own in?" Ash asked.

Sceptile smiled and gave Ash a nod, Ash and Hitmonlee walked into the middle of the clearing and got ready.

Ash placed his bag on the ground and unzipped one of the pouches, quickly taking out a pair of hand wraps he wound them around his hands and took off his shirt.

Ashs Pokemon looked up from what they were doing with interest. After what Ash had told them, they wouldn't mind seeing Ashs skill.

Ash shook himself out and got into a fighting stance raising his fists in front of his face.

"How about five minutes and first take down wins?" Ash asked the Brown Pokemon fighter.

"Mon Lee!" Hitmonlee replied as it raised its own fist and started moving around rhythmically. Ash smiled and the two began to circle.

Ash stepped forward and threw two left jabs followed by a right kick, Hitmonlee block the two punches and countered Ashs kick by blocking with its left leg the spring up and going for a round house kick.

Ash ducked the blow and went for two lighting fast rights and a left uppercut. The first right landed, but the uppercut and second jab were blocked. Hitmonlee went on the offensive and delivered a quick left followed by two speedy rights and a left kick.

Ash blocked the left, and the kick, but was hit in the gut by both rights.

Ash smiled, "Use your back muscles more, or are you going easy on me?" Ash asked Hitmonlee. Ash threw two rights and a left, one of the rights came in contact and so did the left. Hitmonlee swung its leg out in an arc, knocking Ashs feet out from underneath him. Sending Ash crashing to the ground.

Ash let out a laugh, "Nice job Hitmonlee, how about a round two?" He asked grinning!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The group of people came out of Prof. Oaks lab and into the Pokemon Habitat, they had just gotten a snack while Ash trained with his Pokemon.

"Where could he have gone?" May asked, Ash was know where to be seen.

The group looked around and couldn't see anyone except for the odd Pokemon here and there.

"He couldn't be that far away, he's-" Brock was cut off as they heard a feint cheer come off from the forest to the south.

Puzzled the group shrugged and made their way over to where they heard the sound. Entering the cluster of trees, they came across a clearing where all of Ashs Pokemon were circled around something.

"What's going on?" May asked. The group shrugged and looked over the group of Pokemon and gaped at what they saw. Ash was pinned on the ground by Hitmonlee in a submission.

"Never let your guard down Hitmonlee!" Ash said as he rolled out of the submission and swept his leg in an arc, knocking over Hitmonlee.

"Damn, Ash looks pretty good!" Dawn said as she took in Ashs bare chest, and muscles.

"Sure does…"Misty trailed off as she watched the fight in amazement; the fighting looked as if it was dance. The movements were precise and looked as if they had been practiced for hours; the movements were smooth and flowed perfectly as they went into the next move.

May looked beside her at the dreamy eyed Misty, "Misty are you okay?" She asked suspiciously.

Misty snapped out of her staring and blushed a little, "Yeah, I'm fine it's nothing…" Misty trailed off.

"Misty do you still like Ash?" Dawn whispered to Misty. Mistys face heated up and she could feel the blush getting stronger.

"Yes Dawn I do, and seconds before you and May showed up I was about to tell him that!" Misty whispered back. Since Ash had disappeared Misty, May, and Dawn became close best friends and shared everything with each other.

May gasped! "Really! How were you going to do it?" She asked excitedly.

"Well I had just woken up and went into the hall and Ash stepped out of the bathroom with nothing more than a towel on…"Misty trailed off as she remembered the scene.

"Misty snap out of it!" Dawn said as she shook Misty by the arm.

"Oh sorry!" Misty said blushing again, "Well I went up to him and Ooo!" Misty winced as she saw Ash take a hard right to the jaw.

"Went up to him and pretty much was just going to come out and say it, I promised myself that if he ever returned I'd tell him…That I loved him." Misty said softly but quietly.

May and Dawn aww'd at Misty, "I'm sorry we ruined your moment Misty, how are you going to tell him now?" May asked.

Misty looked at her shoes and rubbed her toe awkwardly into the ground. "I don't know, I barely had enough nerve to do it before, and now I'm not sure I'd be able to. There's no time that seems right!" Misty said looking at her female best friends.

"We'll help you Misty!" Dawn said encouragingly!

"Yeah, we'll get you and Ash alone in the perfect time and place!" May said as she went over how romantic the scene would be!

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Misty ask raising an eyebrow, as much as she would love the help she couldn't help but feel that they'd go overboard.

The two girls pursed their lips as they thought of a plan. Misty watched oddly as the two girls stood stock still with a pondering look on their faces.

After a minute, Misty could almost see the light bulb that went off over Dawns head! "I've got it!" Dawn shouted. The Pokemon turned to look at Dawn curiously. Dawn turned red in embarrassment and chuckled sheepishly.

"Keep it down Dawn!" Misty whispered furiously!

"Sorry I've got a really good plan! Let's go find Delia and Brock!" Dawn said dragging the two girls behind her! Misty took one last glance behind her to look at Ash; he was congratulating his Pokemon on a well fought fight.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The three girls went over to the table, Delia, and Brock were now sitting at. With a grin on Dawns face they pulled up a chair and sat down.

Brock and Delia turned from their conversation and looked at the three girls.

"Mrs. K, I was wondering if we could hold a party for Ash since he returned!" Dawn asked.

"We can't dear, to hold a party for him would attract attention and Ash doesn't want that." Delia replied a little downheartedly.

Dawn nodded in agreement, "Well I had this idea you see," Dawn said slyly, "What if we hold a '_Christmas Party'_ but it would really be a party for Ash in disguise!" Dawn said triumphantly!

The girls and Brock stared at Dawn a little confused. "I don't know Dawn, it would be a little risky don't you think?" Brock stated. They knew the importance of keeping Ashs identity a secret, it would be a major risk to hold a party.

"Oh come on Brock, it wouldn't just be for Ash!" Dawn said trying to reason with the breeder. Misty turned red at that

"Quiet Dawn!" Misty muttered glaring daggers at the perky blunette.

"What do you mean, not just for Ash…?" Delia asked suspiciously.

"Misty wants to tell Ash she lov-OW!" Dawn shouted as something pulled her hair hard!

"Way to let the Meowth out of the bag!" Misty snapped at Dawn! Dawn sunk into her seat as Mistys temper flared. Brock had a smirk come across his face.

"Are you finally going to admit you love Ash?" Brock asked smoothly. Misty clenched her fists at the cocky breeder.

"Shut it Brock! Or you're going to be in a coma for a month got it!" Misty snapped angrily!

Brock moved his chair away from Misty.

"Misty dear is that true?" Delia asked softly, but curiously.

Misty looked at Delia, she always considered Delia her step mother because she had lost her own when she was younger. She had always been there for her, so caring loving, everything she could ask for. Misty knew she could tell her the truth.

"Yes Mrs. K…" Misty trailed off.

Delia looked over Misty and thought about what she said. "I think we should do it." Delia finally said.

The group snapped their gazes to Delia!

"Really!" Squealed May!

Delia nodded, "Ash needs to find some happiness, and Misty can provide it more than anyone else can, if you love Ash I can't help but be thrilled! I've waited to long for you two to get together! And I couldn't be happier that you're the one for Ash, Misty!" Delia said smiling at Misty.

Misty felt a tear come down her cheek at what Delia said, it showed how much she cared for her and her happiness.

"Thank you Mrs. K! That really means a lot to me!" Misty said softly, smiling.

The group drifted into discussion on how everything would be planned out, they'd need to invite guests fairly soon. The party would be tomorrow night; there'd be food, drinks, and dancing. That's where Dawn and Mays plan laid; they planned on getting Ash and Misty to dance under the stars where they would have the most romantic scenery possible! The girls gushed at how romantic and sweet it would be!

Another hour or so passed and they were still well into discussion. Ash appeared out of the forest with Pikachu on his shoulder and his Growlithe at his side. Ash looked around for his group of friends and family. Looking around he saw them over at a table by the lab.

"Hey everyone!" Ash called out as he took a drink from his water bottle. The group at the table turned their heads and saw Ash approaching them. They quickly put their heads together and quickly pulled out and turned back to Ash.

Ash was puzzled, he eyed the group suspiciously. Walking up to the table, he didn't sit down but cast a quizzical eye over the group.

"What's up?" Ash asked. His question met with silence, he saw the others look at each other instead of answering.

"Did something happen?" Ash asked suspiciously. If something he should know about happened, it would be best that they told him. Ash looked at Misty.

"What happened Mist?" Ash asked seriously, he wasn't playing games, if something happened he needed to no.

Misty didn't answer.

"Umm, Ash dear…" Delia trailed off not sure how Ash would react to what they decided.

"Yeah mom…" Ash replied hesitantly.

"We have decided that we would uh, throw a Christmas party…" Delia trailed off waiting for Ashs reaction.

Ash stared at her with a blank expression. He blinked a couple times before answering.

"I'm sorry what?" He asked making sure he heard correctly.

"A Christmas Party…" Delia answered. Ashs blank expression was a little unnerving.

"No." Ash said firmly in tone that shouldn't be questioned.

The group got nervous at Ashs change in emotion. Before his eyes were lively, and happy. But now they were like steel, they wouldn't back down; Ash was dead set against this.

Delia looked into Ashs eyes with a firm look of her own, it was nowhere near as intimidating as Ashs, but she knew she could break him. "I'm sorry if you don't like this honey but were having this party." Delia replied firmly.

"And I'm sorry that when you have that party Team Rocket will come in here and kill a few of you!" Ash replied coldly and seriously. The group was taken aback by Ash sudden harsh change.

"Since I left, have you had a single party? And I'm not talking birthdays or something like Thanks Giving. I'm talking about something like a Christmas or a New Year's party." Ash asked the group seriously.

They shook their heads in a 'no' fashion. "Then why would you suddenly have one now?" Ash asked, a little calmer than before.

The group sat in silence. They didn't entirely know how to answer the question, they couldn't tell Ash Mistys secret.

Ash looked around the group for an answer. "Well you decided to throw a party, so there's got to be a reason for it!" Ash said looking each of them in the eye.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked Ash a little scared. Ash looked at Pikachu and instantly felt guilty. He took Pikachu off his shoulder and held him in a hug.

"I'm sorry Pikachu; I didn't mean to scare you." Looking to the group he used a more reasoning voice, "Look I'm sorry for how I sounded there, but it is all the truth. Team Rocket monitors everything, so after four years suddenly throwing a party could make them suspicious; tell me why you want to do this?" Ash asked softly.

The group looked around for an answer.

"Ash, please just let us do this, we want to celebrate your return, and since we can't hold a party for you we thought we could do it in disguise." Misty said looking at the table.

Ash stared at Misty with a blank expression, blocking everyone's chances of reading his thoughts. This was very risky he hated the idea of a party. It could alert Team Rocket to his position; they could even be in Pallet already for all he knew.

"On one condition, and if you disagree than I won't go along with it!" Ash said sternly. The group was surprised at Ash; they didn't think that he'd go along with it.

"What's the condition Ash?" Brock asked.

"If I say that we cancel it, at any moment, you need to end it no questions asked." Ash stated. Ash looked around the group to see if the objected.

Delia nodded her agreement, "Okay Ash, we'll do that. But why would we need to cancel it?" Delia asked.

"I've got my reasons, but also you're risking me having to leave without informing any of you so keep that in mind!" Ash said as he put Pikachu back onto his shoulder.

They didn't know what to say to that, Ash would leave without telling them if he had to. Misty looked into his eyes and saw that he was serious, she hoped to God that nothing would go wrong tomorrow night

"So we're in agreement then?" Ash asked.

The group looked to Ash and gave him a nod.

"Alright than, I've got a phone call to make." Ash stated as he turned and left into the lab.

* * *

><p><strong>The Great Escape, and a Party. I hope the break out and the conclusion to the Tourney was fitting. I wanted Ash to get cut, so I could use that later to add a smidge of Pokeshipping. I know that the moment between Ash and Misty was a little <em>Meh<em> but that's something I need to work on. The romance is not something I'm particularity good at so I'm going to need to improve over the next few chapters. **

**And May and Dawn show up, to help get Ash and Misty together! I needed a way to get them to learn about Ash, because heck they are pretty much all best friends and to leave them out of the loop would just be dumb. So I killed two Pidgeys with one stone, use them to help Misty, and for them to find out about Ash!**

** And Ashs third Pokemon is revealed! A Hitmonlee! I know people thought it was going to be a Lucario, but I thought about it plenty. Lucario would be a rare find, and the only place I could think about Ash getting one was from Riley, but that's been used a ton. So I decided to go with a different fighting type to change things up!**

**And I realized that I haven't put any character ages for the anyone except Ash! *_FacePalm!*_ So I'm going to fix that right now!_  
><em>Character Ages:**

**_Ash-17(Almost 18)  
><em>**

_**Misty-18**_

_**Delia-44**_

_**Brock-22**_

_**Tracey-20**_

_**Dawn-14**_

_**May-15**_

**_Alyssa-19_**

**_Prof. Oak-59_**

**Well I Think those are all suitable Ages, Please Read and Review with any Criticism good or bad about this story. It all will help me improve for future chapters. Thanks again!**

**_With that, ThatOneDwarf Signing Off!_  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Back once again with Chapter 6. This chapter is well... You'll see when you read it, I'll talk about it more at the end. So until then enjoy Chapter 6!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder left the group at the table and opened the door to the laboratory. Stepping inside, he looked around the room for the nearest video phone. After a couple minutes of looking around he spotted the phone over beside a desk.<p>

Ash took the chair by the desk and placed it in front of the phone. Sitting down he turned on the monitor and dialed in a number. Ash and Pikachu waited a few moments until the phone was answered.

"Hello Saffron City Pokemon Center, this is Nurse Joy speaking." A pink haired women with cheerful blue eyes and a perky smile answered.

"Hello Nurse Joy how are you today?" Ash asked.

"Oh hello Shay, it's nice to see you again! What can I help you with?" Nurse joy asked curiously.

"I was wondering if I've gotten any messages lately. It's been sometime since I last checked so I was hoping you could let me know." Ash replied smiling.

"If you hang on a second I'll be right back!" Nurse Joy said as she disappeared off the screen. Pikachu looked at Ash curiously.

"Pikapi pikachu?" Pikachu asked cocking his head to the side.

Ash smiled up at his pal. "I'll tell you in a bit okay, after we finish this call okay?" Ash asked Pikachu.

Pikachu nodded. Nurse joy reappeared on the screen still smiling.

"We've got one message here for you Shay, would you like me to send it over to you?" Nurse Joy asked.

Ash nodded, "That'd be great Nurse Joy thanks!" Ash said.

Nurse Joy finally took notice of Pikachu. "Did you happen to catch a Pikachu Shay? It looks really healthy!" Nurse Joy said as she began typing something on the other end.

Ash smiled, "Yeah, I caught him some time back, and we've become great friends haven't we Pikachu?" Ash asked his companion.

"Pi Pikapi!" Pikachu said nodding happily.

Nurse Joy looked up from her typing and smiled, "Alright Shay I've sent you the message, all you need to do is check it!" Nurse Joy said happily!

"Thanks Nurse Joy it means a lot to me! I'll talk to you again soon!" Ash said.

"Alright Shay talk to you later!" Nurse Joy replied waving as she shut off the call. Ash closed the call and pulled up a new screen on the monitor with text on it.

Ash read what was on the screen.

_12/3/-5pm_

_12/12/-4am_

_12/25/-2am_

Ash pursed his lips. Shaking his head, he deleted the message and shut off the monitor.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked.

"I'm going to have to stay up late tonight, to make a call Pikachu that's it." Ash told his electric type. "Well lets go see what the others are doing now shall we?" Ash asked as the headed for the door that lead to the Habitat.

The duo stepped outside and headed for the table the others sat at. Ash pulled up a chair and sat down. The group turned and looked at Ash.

"Who'd you call?" May asked a little hesitantly. They were still a little tense at the earlier conversation.

"Doesn't matter, but shouldn't you guys get started on the…Party?" Ash asked. He was still 100% against it but he wouldn't stop them unless necessary.

"Well we're going to hold it here, and all we really need to do is set up tables, get the food, decorations, and music and we'll be all good!" Dawn said semi-cheerfully.

"Well shouldn't you get started? It is tomorrow after all." Ash said giving curious glances to the others.

"We're going to start in a bit, we just have to go over a couple small things?" Delia answered.

Ash shrugged, "I'm going to go say good bye to the Pokemon and head back to the house. I've got a few things I need to pick up at the store." Ash said getting up from his chair.

"What do you need to get?" Misty asked.

"Just some odds and ends, nothing important." Ash said as he began to turn away.

The Group watched as Ash walked away with Pikachu at his side, over to the cluster of trees in the distance.

"Maybe we should get him to pick up a few things for us while he's out?" Brock suggested.

"Good idea, we should get a list ready for when he gets back!" Delia said as she whipped out a small notepad.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ten minutes later Ash reappeared out of the forest and made his way back over to the group of people.

"Pikachu is going to stay here with the others; I'm going to head out and be back in a bit alright?" Ash said as he readjusted the bag on his back.

"Alright honey, but could you pick up a couple things for us while you're out?" Delia asked as she held out a piece of paper to Ash.

"I guess…" Ash said as he took and read the list. Ash looked up and raised an eyebrow at them. "That's a little more than a few things!" Ash looked back down and re-examined the paper.

"Want someone to come with you Ash?" Brock offered. Ash thought about it and set his bag onto the table and opened a couple pouches.

"Yeah I don't have much room in here so if you want everything on the list someone better come." Ash said as he zipped up the zippers on his bag.

"Alright, I'll go with you, it won't take very long if we hurry." Brock said getting up from his seat.

Ash nodded, "Alright then let's go."

The two friends made their way through the streets of Pallet and over to the local mall. It wasn't very big, but it had all the necessities. "So Ash, who did you call before we left?" Brock asked trying to make small talk.

"Like I said, it's nothing important." Ash stated simply.

"Come on Ash you can tell me, I won't tell the others!" Brock said to try and coax him into spilling.

"So let me get this straight. You expect me to tell you who I called, when you won't tell me the real reason behind your party?" Ash asked raising an eyebrow.

"Sounds to me like I'm getting put on the wrong end of the deal here. However, tell me the real reason and I'll tell you who I called." Ash said staring ahead of him.

"Alright never mind then." Brock said in defeat.

The two entered the mall and stood at the door while they went over the list. "Brock you start taking care of the list, and I'm going to go grab what I came for. Then I'll come find you and help you out alright?" Ash said handing Brock the list. Brock nodded and headed off for the grocery store.

Ash walked around and eventually came across the pharmacy. Entering the store he strolled around until he came to one of the items he needed. Taking a white bottle off the wall, Ash checked to see how many painkillers there were inside.

He then went around and looked for thread, needles, bandages, and gauze. Satisfied he had everything he went over to the clerk and paid for his items. After paying Ash took the items and placed them in specific pouches in his bag.

Ash left the pharmacy and went across to the store that was two stores to the left. Ash walked into the clothing store and went to the where the shirts hung. He didn't own any dress clothes, but for this party to avoid sticking out he'd at least needed to make an attempt to look nice. Ash took a black polo shirt off a hanger and examined it. Shrugging, he decided that it would match his black jeans so which would be good enough.

Buying the shirt he left to the grocery store where Brock had most of the list already found. Ash took his share of the list and after looking around for ten minutes the two had all the food, and drinks needed for the next day.

The two paid for the large amount of grocery's and headed off. After a short walk the two arrived back at Ashs house and set the numerous amounts of bags down. Ash took a glance at the clock. It was just after 7 and he had time to kill.

"So what are you going to do now Brock?" Ash asked as he unzipped his bag and took out his torn black hoodie.  
>"I guess I'll head back up to the lab and check on the others." Brock said as he went to the front door.<p>

"Alright, I'm just gonna stay here and relax then I guess." Ash replied.

"Cya later!" Brock said as he opened the door.

"Catch ya later," Ash called after him. Ash took out the thread, and one of the needles he bought and sat down on the couch. He began to slowly stitch some of the rips in his hoodie. After a while he grew bored and decided to go upstairs and take a nap to pass the time.

Replacing his belongings into his bag, he went upstairs and into his room. Sitting down on the small bed, Ash noticed his old badges for the first time since he got back. Getting up from his bed, Ash walked over and examined his Kanto badges.

'_I wish I could go back and redo it all. I wouldn't change a thing, but I'd do anything so I didn't have to keep hiding' _Ash thought with a sigh. Ashs curiosity piqued as he went over to his closet. Opening the door, he smiled at what he saw.

Hung up where his old traveling clothes and beside each was the specific hat he wore for each region. Except for Sinnoh oh course. Ash took his old Kanto hat and examined it, the colors had slightly faded but it still looked rather new. Even after all the adventures he'd gone through.

Ash placed the cap on his head and smiled, it still fit perfectly. Ash took off the hat and replaced it onto the hook in his closet. Ash closed the closet door and went over to his bed and laid down. Closing his eyes he fell asleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash felt something nudge him, he tried to push it away but it kept coming. Ash peeled his eyes open and saw Pikachu smiling at him.

"Pi pikachu ka chu!" Pikachu told Ash. Ash smiled and pulled himself up.

"Thanks for waking me Pikachu, how long ago did you get back?" Ash asked yawning.

"Chu ka pi!" Pikachu replied hopping off Ashs bed and ran out the door. Smiling Ash got up and followed his buddy downstairs.

Ash went down the stairs and was greeted by Brock, May, Misty, and Dawn. "Hey everyone," Ash said suppressing a yawn.

The four said hello and Ash sat down on the couch. Ash looked at the time, and his jaw dropped. "Why didn't you guys wake me earlier? It's already midnight!" Ash asked a little flabbergasted.

"It seemed like you were tired so we decided not to wake you," Misty said taking a sip of hot chocolate.

The four came out of the kitchen and sat down in the living room with Ash. "So how long are you guys staying up?" Ash asked.

"Dunno, we thought we'd watch a movie before going to sleep," May replied.

Ash mentally sighed, but on the outside he shrugged. "Mind if I join you all then?" Ash asked.

"Sure thing Ash, but it is a romance movie tho." Dawn said happily. Ash groaned loudly.

The five friends got themselves ready and sat down comfortably. Brock sat on a chair that was brought into the living room, while Ash, Misty, May, and Dawn, squeezed onto the couch. Dawn and May made sure that Misty was the one who sat next to Ash.

An hour into the movie, Ash glanced at the clock for the 23rd time. He had taken no interest in the movie since it began, and he had to force himself to stay awake. Taking his gaze away from the clock he depressingly returned his slowly dwindling attention to the movie.

Nearing the end of the movie, Ash took a look at the others; Brock had left during the movie and had gone to bed. Dawn and May where fast asleep using each other as support to keep from falling over.

Ash smiled at Misty, she was using his arm as a pillow, she was holding onto his arm and laying her head against it. Ash cocked his head curiously at Misty, he hadn't noticed it before but her hair was longer.

Her hair wasn't in her usual ponytail, but instead it was let down. He always thought Misty looked better with her hair down. Ash brushed her bangs gently off her face so he could get a better look. Ash smiled at the peaceful expression on her face, her eyelids moved as she dreamed.

He didn't realize it before, but after so long, Misty was no longer the scrawny red head that he knew all those years ago. She was now a beautiful young woman. She had filled out more, and her curves were more than noticeable.

Her fiery red hair was draped over her left shoulder and hung down just below her shoulder. Ash took his gaze from Misty and moved it to his lap where a peacefully dozing Pikachu was curled up. Ash looked at the clock and saw it was 1:30 in the morning.

Ash needed to get up, very softly he shook Pikachu awake, Pikachu slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ash.

"Sorry for waking you Pikachu, but I need to make that phone call. Do you want to go upstairs to bed and I'll be up there in a little bit?" Ash asked quietly. Pikachu gave a slight nod and slowly stretched and hopped off Ashs lap.

Ash smiled as he saw the tired Pokemon lumber slowly up the stairs. Ash now turned his attention to the sleeping red head that was using him as a pillow. Seeing her sleep peacefully made him wish he could just let her sleep.

Ash gave Misty a gentle nudge. Misty didn't move, so Ash gave her a gentle shake. "Misty, I need you to wake up." Ash said softly. Misty mumbled something and held Ashs arm tighter snuggling her head deeper into Ashs arm. Ash felt a warm feeling in his chest. Puzzled Ash ignored it, and decided that he'd carefully remove his arm from her grasp.

Ash very slowly pulled his arm up, and it very carefully slid out of Mistys hold. Once his arm was free, he carefully laid Misty down against the armrest of the couch for a pillow.

Seeing that she'd be comfortable Ash went into the kitchen and sat down in front of the videophone. Ash dialed in a number and waited while the phone rang. After a minute the phone was picked up by a blonde with blue eyes, who was wearing a black hat.

A smile broke out on Ashs face, "Hey Aly how's everything going?" Ash asked excitedly!

Alyssa grinned in return, "Everything's great Ash," her grin disappeared and her face went into a serious expression. "Ash I got some big news, it took me forever to get it. But I think I found out about what Giovanni's up too!" Alyssa said seriously.

Ashs smile faded as they got serious. "What do you mean Aly?" Ash asked.

"Before I answer where are you calling from?" Alyssa asked. "I almost didn't answer because I haven't seen this number before."

Ash looked away from the monitor. "I messed up Aly!" Ash mumbled. Alyssa looked worriedly at Ash.

"What did you do Ash? How did you mess up?"

Ash looked back at the monitor; he knew Alyssa wouldn't like his answer. "I went home…" Ash trailed off.

Alyssa stared blankly at Ash, not so that Ash couldn't read her thoughts, but because she didn't know what to say. "You went home?" She asked to make sure she heard right.

Ash nodded.

"Ash what were you thinking! Who knows who you are, and what you've done? This could ruin everything!" Alyssa shouted!

"Quiet Aly their sleeping right now!" Ash whispered back. "I haven't told them about what we're doing, only about where I've been!" Ash said hoping to calm Alyssa down a little.

"Are you sure you haven't told them anything? What exactly did you tell them!" Alyssa asked furiously!

"I told them about the Academy, how I met you, the tournament, the escape, and what I've done in Orre!" he said reassuringly.

Alyssa calmed down. "You're sure that's it?" She asked. Ash nodded. Alyssa took a deep breath. "Okay, I take it your in Pallet Town than?" Alyssa asked.

"Yeah I arrived here about three days ago." Ash replied.

"Why did you go back Ash?" Alyssa asked, they agreed that they should not contact anyone Ash knew at all costs.

"I ran into trouble in Viridian, I was almost caught. A couple Grunts chased me through Viridian forest, I lost them after a while but a snow storm came up and I didn't want to bring Growlithe or Charizard out in case they got sick. So I headed to Pallet in hopes that I could find shelter there. But when there was none, I was about freeze to death so I said to hell with it. I showed up and knocked on the door, and passed out right there." Ash said.

Alyssa looked over Ash; she could see he was telling the truth. "Okay Ash I believe you, but we need to meet up." Alyssa replied seriously getting back to the main reason Ash had called.

"Is there anything you can tell me now over the phone so I know how to be prepared in case?" Ash asked.

"Well Giovanni is planning something with the Kanto League, I don't know all the details, but he's been training a Rocket as a replacement for you." Alyssa said taking a piece of paper in front of her and folding it up.

"What do you mean he's training someone as a replacement for me?" Ash asked confused.

"I'm not sure but from what I understand what ever Giovanni was going to use you for he's been training someone else since you escaped," Alyssa stated.

Ash leaned back in his chair. What would Giovanni want with the Indigo League? "How's Gio training the person? Is it with Pokemon and weapons?" Ash asked curiously.

Alyssa took another paper that was in front of her and read it.

"Looks like they're training him to be a Ranger, but they're mostly focusing with Pokemon, that's all I can really say until we meet up." Alyssa said as she placed the papers into a folder and put it to the side.

Ash drummed his fingers across his leg, he really didn't want to take off so soon after returning. But he knew this could be vital information to their chances at stopping Team Rocket.

"How long do you think you could give me before we meet up?" Ash asked.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't know, maybe another day or two but I'm supposed to be attempting a break in at Goldenrods Game Corner by the end of next week, so the sooner you get here the better!"

Ash ran a hand through his hair. "Give me another day, I'll spend Christmas with everyone, spend the day after saying good bye, then I'll take off that night." Ash said shaking his head.

"Alright Ash so I should expect you in around four days then?" Alyssa inquired.

Ash nodded, "If I'm riding Charizard then yeah." Ash said as he stared off into the living room.

"Okay, so I'll see you then?" She asked.

Ash was about to let her go when he remembered something. "Oh, Aly could you do a quick check for me?" Ash asked quickly.

Alyssa gave him a curious glance, but shrugged it off. "Sure thing Blonde what is it?"

"Could you check to see if there are currently any Grunts keeping an eye on Pallet, or if there has been a lot of monitoring around here?"

"Uh sure Ash, just give me a second." Alyssa said as she disappeared off the screen. Five minutes later she reappeared.

"Well from the look of things, it's been pretty quiet over there. I think it's safe for you there if you don't wait much longer." Alyssa finished as she let out a yawn.

Ash let go a sigh of relief, "Alright thanks Aly, I'll see you in a couple days."

"Alright take care Ash," Alyssa said with a wave before shutting off the call.

As soon as the call ended Ash let out a groan, he was going to have to tell them that he was leaving. Ash got up from his seat and went back into the living room; he went over to the TV and shut it off. Ash was about to head upstairs when a sleepy voice said something.

"What are you doing Ash?" Misty mumbled, as she slowly sat herself up.

"I had something to take care of Mist, you should go back to sleep." Ash said quietly.

"I, I need to go to my (Yawn) bed." Misty said wearily trying to stand up.

Ash went over to her and held her by the shoulders so she wouldn't fall over. Misty took a few wobbly steps forward and almost fell. Ash stopped her where she was and looked her over.

Ash sighed, "Come here Mist, I'll carry you." He told the half conscious girl. Misty mumbled something, and Ash picked her up bridal style. Misty wrapped her arms around Ashs neck and lay her head against his chest.

Ash felt the warm feeling inside him as he felt Misty's slow breaths on his chest. Ash carefully brought her upstairs, and into her room. Gently laying her onto her bed, he pulled the covers down and slipped her underneath. He pulled the covers up and smiled at the sight.

Ash walked over to her door, "Good Night Misty," Ash said softly leaving the room closing the door behind him.

Ash went into his room and got into bed; he slipped in beside Pikachu and closed his eyes. After laying there for a while, he finally drifted off into sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Waking up the next morning Ash rolled himself out of bed and yawned. The phone call was still replaying over and over in his head. He didn't know how he was going to break the news to everyone, but he'd have to do it soon.

Ash opened the door to his room and went down the hall and down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs Ash heard voices coming from the kitchen. Walking into the kitchen everyone was seated around the table eating breakfast.

"Morning everyone," Ash said as he pulled up a chair.

"Hey Ash do you know how I ended up in my room last night?" Misty asked curiously.

Ash nodded, "You fell asleep on the couch, and when I got back from the phone call you were half conscious telling me you wanted to sleep in your bed. You could barely walk so I carried you up and tucked you in." Ash said as he took an apple from the fruit bowl on the table.

Misty blushed a dark shade of red, May raised an eyebrow at him.

"Who did you call last night?" She asked.

Ash cocked his head sideways, _'how did she know about the phone call?'_ Ash thought.

"Where did you get the idea I made a phone call?" Ash asked.

"You just told us you made a phone call before helping Misty to her room," Dawn stated suspiciously.

'_Dammit!'_ Ash thought angrily. "Look its nothing important, I just had to check a few things alright." Ash said.

"Like what?" Brock asked as he took a bite of a piece of toast.

Ash thought about it, he really didn't want to ruin their night so he made a decision.

"I'll tell you after the party tonight." Ash stated firmly ending the conversation there.

The table looked at Ash suspiciously, he was keeping something from them, and it was all too easy to see.

"It's rude to stare." Ash informed the others as he took a bite of his apple.

The others broke their stares from Ash and returned to eating their breakfast, making small talk while doing so. After everyone finished eating, they all showered and headed up to the lab.

Ash went straight to the Habitat and began looking around for Charizard. He had recalled Growlithe and Hitmonlee, but he let Charizard stay with out with the others while they were staying here.

To the left of where the small forest they trained in the other day was, there was a small lake that had water Pokemon swimming around. There was also two orange Pokemon over there.

Ash made his way over to the two Pokemon and began talking. "Morning Infernape, do you mind if I borrow Charizard here for a second we need to talk about something quickly." Ash said to the fire monkey.

Infernape nodded, Ash and Charizard walked a few feet away so they could talk quietly.

"Charizard we're taking off tomorrow night, so make sure you spend time with everyone. I'm not sure when we'll be back, so make your time here last!" Ash said a little sadly.

Charizard grunted, and gave a nod.

"Alright, I'll come see the others in a little while, I'll see you then." Ash said as he turned away and headed back to his group of friends.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dawn, May, and Misty, were setting up the tables for the party when Ash walked over to them.

"Hey guys, I got a small question," Ash stated.

The girls shrugged and gestured for him to continue.

"Well when are you going to invite guests, I mean the party's in what a few hours?"

"While you and Brock were out yesterday, we went out and invited everyone." May answered. Ash shrugged, and began walking away.

Dawn turned to Misty, "So Misty what are you going to wear tonight?" She asked.

Misty stopped laying out a table cloth and looked up at Dawn, "I'm not sure, haven't really thought about it." Misty replied a little embarrassed.

Dawn sighed, "Lets finish this up, and then we'll go get you something to wear!" Dawn replied quickly hurrying around the other tables laying out table clothes. May, a Misty watched as Dawn speedily went from table to table setting everything up.

"I forgot how much she likes shopping…" Misty trailed off as Dawn finished and came back to them smiling.

"Let's go!" Dawn said grabbing her two friends by their hands and running off.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The following few hours were spent finishing the details on the party. Round tables with white table clothes, and candles were laid out across the field behind Prof. Oak's lab, two large white tents were set up, one contained the large assortment of food that was recently prepared by Brock, and the other was set up where a large stereo, and dance floor had been constructed.

Lanterns hung down from the top of the tents providing light for everyone to see. Ash stood away from where the party was going to happen and looked on with interest.

"You know Pikachu," Ash said looking down at the Pokemon who was sitting beside him, "It still amazes me at how quickly they can put these type of things together."

"Pi-ka" Pikachu replied.

Ash smiled and held out his arm, Pikachu hopped up and climbed onto Ashs shoulder.

"Well, I'm going to head back home and get ready I suppose, do you want to stay here with the others?" Ash asked.

Pikachu nodded and pointed to Ashs side.

"Alright, once we get over there I'll let them out to enjoy as well okay?" Ash smiled.

"Pi Pikapi!" Pikachu replied happily. The duo made their way over to where the tents were placed, and Ash called out Growlithe and Hitmonlee.

"Alright you two, you get to enjoy the party as well, make sure you guys stay out of trouble alright?" Ash told his Pokemon. They nodded and turned around and began walking to the food tables. Ash chuckled and turned and left the lab.

Returning home, Ash went upstairs and into his room where his bag was. Ash undid the bag and took out a pair of black jeans and the polo he bought the other day. Ash swapped clothes and looked at himself in the mirror.

"Not bad," He shrugged. With that Ash went back to his bag and pulled out his torn hoodie and his knife.

Ash clipped the knife on to his side and pulled the hoodie on over top. Zipping up his bag, he left his room and headed back downstairs and out the door.

Ash arrived at the lab a couple of minutes later. Going around back, he gaped at how many people there were. It couldn't have even been 7 yet, but there was still probably around one hundred plus people! Shaking his head he went over in search of his Pokemon.

He spotted them still over by the food table, "Don't eat too much you guys!" Ash laughed as he walked over to where Pikachu was trying to open a ketchup bottle. Pikachu turned to him and handed him the bottle.

Ash undid the lid, and handed it back to Pikachu, who let out a content sigh as he slurped the red treat. Ash wasn't sure what to do, he didn't see Brock or the others, and he really didn't want to go socialize with the other guests in case they recognized him. So instead Ash took a walk over to where they had trained the other day.

Laying down on the ground in the clearing, he thought over how he was going to tell the others he was leaving, and he thought about what Giovanni was planning.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was just after 8 and no one could find Ash, once they had finished setting up everything for the party an hour or two ago, they had seen Ash leave the lab. But they hadn't seen him return.

They thought he would have returned soon after he left, but from what they knew he never did. Brock went around the party in search of the blond haired boy. Annoyed that he couldn't find him, he went back to where the others were.

"Did you find him Brock?" May asked, they had been searching for over an hour and had yet to come across him.

Brock shook his head, "I can't find him anywhere, there's a chance he stayed at the house. But that's highly unlikely." Brock answered.

"Well how are we going to get Ash and Misty together if we can't find Ash?" Dawn asked frustratedly. Brock shrugged he had no clue where Ash had gone.

"Did you find him?" A voice from behind Brock asked.

Turning around he saw Misty. He shook his head again, "We can't find him, he just disappeared!" Brock replied annoyed.

"Well there's got to be someone who saw where he went!" Misty said angrily! She was supposed to have a moment with Ash, but she couldn't even find the idiot!

The group stood there and thought about who would know where Ash went.

"Where's Pikachu?" May asked.

"Of course! Pikachu's been with Ash pretty much the whole time so if we find him, he can tell us were Ash is!" Dawn exclaimed!

"Alright, let's go find Pikachu!" Brock exclaimed! The group went around the party searching for the small yellow Pokemon. After ten minutes of searching they checked the food tables, and found Pikachu, Growlithe and Hitmonlee.

"Hey Pikachu! Have you seen Ash at all?" Misty asked hopefully! Pikachu shook his head, and looked at Hitmonlee.

"Pichu pika pika Pikapi?" Pikachu asked.

"Mon lee hit mon." Hitmonlee replied.

Pikachu turned back to the group of people who were watching the Pokemon converse. "Chu ka," Pikachu stated shaking his head.

The group sighed. "Oh well, it was worth a shot." Brock said exasperatedly. The group begun to walk away, when Misty felt something nudge her leg, she looked down to see Ashs Growlithe.

"Hey there Growlithe, can I help you?" She asked puzzled. Growlithe shook its head and walked a few feet away and pointed with its paw in direction of the small forest.

Before Misty could reply May cut in, "Growlithe is Ash over there?" She asked hopefully!

Growlithe nodded and wagged its small tale. The group let go a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God he's actually here!" Dawn said exasperatedly.

"You guys stay here and I'll grab Romeo okay?" Brock asked. The group nodded and watched as Growlithe led Brock across the field and into the forest.

It wasn't completely dark out yet, which made it easier for Brock as they went through the shrubs. After about ten minutes of walking, they arrived in the clearing where they saw a figure dressed in black laying on the ground.

Brock sighed as he saw that the person had blond hair. Brock walked over and gave Ash a nudge with his shoe.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash had been deep in thought when he had somehow managed to fall asleep. He was supposed to be over at the party, but he was far too relaxed to care. His dreams were interrupted as he felt something nudge him. Ash ignored it, and kept his eyes closed. He thought whatever was around him was gone when it didn't touch him again.

Ash snapped his eyes open when something roughly grabbed him by the arm. Ash shot up from his sleep and grabbed the persons arm and twisted it behind their back. With his free hand he drew his knife and positioned it pointing the tip towards the persons back.

"A-Ash! Please let go!" Brock asked terrified!

Ash let go of the breath he'd been holding and let go of Brock. "What the hell Brock, why'd you have to grab me like that?" Ash asked as he re-sheathed his knife.

Brock looked at Ash, his heart was pounding from being half scared to death. "Sorry Ash, but you scared the living day lights out of me!" Brock said still trying to keep himself together so he didn't wet himself.

"Sorry Brock, just don't grab me from my sleep, if I was at home it would have been fine. But we're outdoors, and it could have been anyone," Ash replied making sure Brock understood his notions for getting physical like that.

Brock nodded, "We've been looking for you for over an hour now, what are you doing out here?" Brock asked.

"I couldn't find you guys, and I got bored so I came out here to think through a couple things." Ash said as he stretched himself.

"Hmm, okay but right now I need you to come with me and I'm not taking no for an answer!" Brock stated as he grabbed Ash by the wrist and dragged him away. Ash looked at Growlithe.

"Any idea where he's taking me?" He asked.

"Grow." Growlithe replied shaking its head.

Ash shrugged. "You know you don't need to keep holding my wrist Brock, I'm not running off anywhere." Ash stated as Brock kept a firm grasp on him.

"Not taking the chance that you'll be distracted by food or something." Brock replied simply.

"Let me rephrase that, I don't like being held, so let go of me before dislocate your shoulder, then pop it back in right away." Ash said devoid of any emotion. Brock hastily agreed.

After walking for another couple minutes they arrived back at the party, Growlithe had gone back over to where Pikachu and Hitmonlee were now laying on the ground holding their stomachs.

"Okay I'm here, what's so important?" Ash asked as he sat own in a chair. Brock pulled him up immediately from where he was sitting and looked at what Ash was wearing.

"Ash why are you wearing that hoodie to a party?" Brock asked shaking his head at the pour choice in clothing. Ash gave him a confused, yet questioning look.

Ash undid the zipper, and shrugged off his hoodie. Brock then nodded approval at Ashs choice in clothing. It was casual, yet formal. Brock thought. Ash stood awkwardly as Brock gave him a once over.

Ash opened his mouth to say something, but felt himself being spun around. "Where have you been?" May asked fairly annoyed at Ash!

Ash opened his mouth to speak, but Brock answered for him. "He was sleeping over in the clearing." Brock said in a disapproving tone. Ash looked at the two like they had two heads.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" He asked. First Brock was checking him out, now May was angry at him. This just didn't seem right in his books.

"Come with me Ash!" another voice from behind him spoke. Ash turned around and was gripped tightly around the wrist by Dawn and was starting to get dragged away.

"Hold it!" May shouted, as she went over to Ash and unclipped the knife from his side.

"Hey, what are you doing? That's a safety precaution remember our deal; I will call this entire thing off if you take my knife away." Ash stated seriously.

This stopped the other three in their tracks; they looked at Ash then back to the knife.

"Okay, how about you tell me what's going on here?" Ash asked annoyed. He would rather be asleep then go through what he was now. He knew that the reports Alyssa had told him had said that no Grunts were in the area, but it was better to take precaution then just go around like nothing can go wrong.

Ash looked back and forth between Brock and the two girls. Ash was about to say something, but was interrupted before he could speak.

"Hey Ash…" The female voice came from behind him. Ash turned around, and his jaw dropped open a little.

Standing behind him was Misty, she was wearing a double strapped aqua blue ruffled dress that cut off just over her knees so that it showed her long lean legs and curves, she wore matching blue flats, and a silver necklace that had a blue raindrop charm that hung around her neck. Her blue eyes sparkled, and her hair was down, which glowed under the light of the lanterns.

Ash couldn't move, Misty was breathtakingly beautiful. He had never once in his life seen her so dressed up like she was now. He remembered Maidens Peak, where she had her hair down. He considered she looked pretty, but now she was absolutely stunning!

"M-Misty?" Ash stuttered. May and Dawn, let go a quiet giggle at Ash. Misty approached Ash and stopped a few feet away from him. She looked at the ground for a second and then back to Ash.

"Would you, maybe want to dance?" She asked softly. Ash just stared for a moment, but slowly he nodded.

"S-Sure Mist." He got out. Misty came up to him and gently took his hand and led him to the dance floor. Dawn May, and Brock, ran over to the stereo and popped in a new CD. After a second a slow song began and they watched the scene between Ash and Misty unfold.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misty took Ashs hand gently; Ash was still stunned at Misty's beauty. He had always been clueless when it came to girls. For the past few years, he'd only spent time with Alyssa, and Sue. Alyssa was like his little sister, which he found odd because she was older then he was. And well Sue, she was just well Sue.

And when he traveled through the different regions with his friends, he never considered the females he met on his journey to be anything other than his best friends. But why was that changing now? May was still May, and Dawn was still Dawn. But Misty? She was still Misty but different!

Ashs thought process over what was going on was interrupted by Misty. They were on the dance floor and Ash was just staring off into space.

"Ash, are you okay?" Misty asked softly.

Ash nodded, he didn't trust his voice right now. Misty smiled at him.

"Do you know how to dance Ash?" She already knew the answer, but she couldn't help but tease him a little.

Ash opened his mouth to reply but no sound came out, which made him blush. Ash cleared his throat and tried again.

"No, not really Mist. I think you're going to have to teach me…" He said awkwardly. Misty giggled at Ash, she could see he was nervous about this.

Misty put her arms around Ashs neck, "Alright, now you put your arms around my waist," She said looking Ash in the eye.

Ash hesitantly put his arms around Misty's waist, and waited for the next instructions.

Misty raised an eyebrow at him, he was more nervous than she thought. "Okay, now just sway in tempo with the beat, and don't step on my feet," She said playfully.

After a minute of Ash looking down to be sure he didn't step on her feet, he found that it was rather easy to stay in tempo.

"Your pretty good Ash," Misty said. She expected him to have at least done something wrong by now but he didn't.

"It's kind of like fighting I suppose." Ash replied blushing a little.

"How so?" Fighting and dancing aren't exactly in the same category.

"Well in fighting you have to be light on your feet, and be able to smoothly change from going offensive to defensive, or from kicks, to dodges." Ash said as he went over what he said in his head.

The two continued to dance for another few minutes until the song changed.

Ash looked into Mistys eyes, "You uh, look beautiful tonight Mist…" Ash said giving her a small smile.

Misty looked down to her shoes as her face turned red at the compliment. "Thanks Ash, you don't look have bad yourself," She replied.

Ash felt the warm feeling he had in his stomach before again, as he continued to dance with Misty. It was really starting to bug him, not because he didn't like it but because he didn't know what it was. _'What is this thing, Brock used to talk about this all the time when we travelled. What's the word…'_ Ash thought.

"Hormones…"Ash said aloud. Misty gave him a confused look, what was Ash thinking about?

"I'm sorry?" She asked puzzled.

Ash brought his gaze back to Misty, "Huh?" He asked,

The corner of Misty's mouth tilted upward, "What was that about hormones?" She asked teasingly. Ashs eyes widened as he realized he said that out loud.

Ash stammered for an answer. "I- well, you see, I sort of get this warm feeling inside when I'm with you and uh yeah…" Ash trailed off looking redder then Pikachu's ketchup.

Misty's heart leapt a bit, Misty pulled Ash closer. Nervously she cleared her throat, which made Ash make eye contact.

"Umm Ash…" She trailed off.

"Yeah Mist? Ash replied curiously.

"Well remember how, I was going to tell you something and then May and Dawn showed up…" Misty asked.

Ash thought about it for a second, "Oh yeah what were you going to tell me?" He asked intrigued by the conversation.

"Well you see, I well kind of really like you!" She spoke quickly so she didn't change her mind. She looked in Ashs eyes for his answer, but was confused at what she saw.

"Well I like you to Mist," Ash replied.

"Really Ash!" Her heart welled up at that!

"Well of course, you're my best friend so of course I like you!" Ash said giving her a smile. Misty's eye twitched, and her temper flared a bit.

'_The idiot! He doesn't understand what I told him!' _She thought incredulously! She cooled her temper before she spoke again.

"Ash that's not what I meant…" Misty said looking into his eyes. Ashs confused expression made her continue.

"I mean I really _like_ you!" Making sure to lay extra stress on '_like'_ to get the point across.

Ash raised an eyebrow at her still not understanding. "I really like you to Mist I-" Ash was cut off as Misty pulled him closer and pressed her lips to his.

Ashs eyes went wide and he tensed as Misty pulled him into a kiss, he was beyond surprised, it was his first kiss! And honestly it felt great, but it also made him hate himself! Ash pulled out of the kiss quickly, startling Misty.

Misty got scared, "I-I'm sorry Ash, I just-" Ash cut her off.

Ash was still in shock. "I-Its fine Misty, I-I was just surprised and well… Come with me we need to talk." Ash stated as he grabbed Misty gently by her hand and walked her off the dance floor. Misty got worried at this, she wasn't sure if she did something wrong, or if Ash didn't feel the same way.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Brock, May, Dawn, and Delia watched as Ash and Misty danced, "When do you think she's going to tell him?" May asked. They had already gone through three songs that had been more than five minutes apiece.

"She probably doesn't want to rush it, she was pretty nervous about this." Brock replied.

"Ash was pretty nervous after seeing her!" Dawn giggled! May and Brock joined in on the laughter but stopped when they saw Misty pull Ash in for a kiss.

They stared at the scene, Misty pulled Ash in for the kiss, but almost instantly Ash pulled out of it!

"What happened?" May exclaimed! It looked like everything was going great!

"I dunno, but they're coming over here!" Brock said as he saw Ash pulling Misty towards them.

Ash stopped in front of them, "Come with me," Ash said to the group and took off a second later, still holding Misty's hand. The four took off after the quickly departing Ash and Misty.

Ash headed for the lab, and opened the door. "Ash what's wrong?" Misty asked, slightly nervous at how Ash was acting.

"Hang on a second Mist, we need to find Prof. Oak and Tracey," Ash said looking around the lab. The others came in a minute after, confused at what was going on.

"Honey what happened?" Delia asked concerned. It looked as if everything was going well, and now she wasn't so sure.

"Where are Tracey and the Professor?" Ash asked.

"They're over in the research room," Brock answered.

"Come on we all need to talk." Ash said as he started toward the research room. The group followed Ash into the research room and informed the Professor and Tracey they all needed to talk.

They moved over to where Ash had told them of where he had been for the last few years. They all sat down except for Ash.

Once they were all seated Ash got started. "Was getting Misty and I alone the reason for this party?" Ash asked.

"Yes, Ash I wanted to tell you so everyone helped me out…" Misty trailed off worriedly.

Ash tapped his foot on the ground as he thought of how to say what he wanted next.

"I wish you all hadn't done this," Ash said to the group. Misty felt her heart break at that.

"It's not because of Misty, it just made things harder for me to tell you that I'm." Ash paused for a second, so he could keep his voice neutral.

"To tell you that I'm leaving tomorrow night." Ash stated finally. The group didn't know what to say to that. Misty was relieved Ash that wasn't upset at her, but she was devastated that he was leaving.

"Why do you have to go Ash!" Delia asked panic in her voice.

"You never asked why I returned." Ash said, "Did you ever wonder why?"

The group hesitated before Misty answered. "No we never thought about it, we just assumed that it was because you wanted to come back…" She trailed off.

Ash took a deep breath, "I never wanted to come back, not yet anyway. The only reason I came back was because I wouldn't have survived the night in that storm." Ash said looking at each of the assembled group.

The group didn't know what to say to that, Ash had only returned so he wouldn't freeze to death.

"I wasn't going to come back, until I shut down Team Rocket. And from what I know I may have a fairly good chance at that. That's why I need to leave."

"How are you going to do that?" Tracey asked.

"I don't know, I called Alyssa and she said Giovanni has been training a replacement since I left, that's all she could tell me so I'm going to meet up with her and plan what we're going to do, and maybe end this. It could take a week, or a couple years for all I know."

"Will we see you at all during that time?" Brock asked. Ash sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I honestly don't know, there's very little chance that we'd see each other for a long time." Ash said regretfully.

The sat in silence as they went over what Ash had said. They hated that he was going to leave right after he had just gotten back, but if it meant that he'd be able to stay with them permanently then it might be worth it.

"You should all head back out there; the guests will get curious to where you've all gone." Ash said to the group. They solemnly nodded at began to leave the room. Ash stopped Misty before she could leave.

Misty looked at Ash sadly, "Come with me Mist we need to talk." Ash said softly taking her by the hand. The two left the lab and went back out to the party; they walked in silence as they went and grabbed Ashs hoodie, and knife. Ash put on his hoodie, and clipped his knife to his side and they left the lab.

The two left the lab, and walked down the dirt path in silence. Misty turned to look at Ash, she could tell he was thinking deeply. But she needed to know how he felt.

"Ash…" She said to break the silence; Ash turned his gaze to her.

"Yeah Misty?" he asked even tho he thought he knew what she was going to say.

"About the kiss, I had to. I can't take it any longer I need to know…" She said. Ash could hear slight desperation in her voice.

"Misty I'm not sure what to tell you. I love spending time with you, and I love being around you. But I don't want to hold you back." Ash stated as he turned his gaze ahead of him.

"What do you mean hold me back?"

"Mist I could be gone for a week or a couple years. I don't want to see you unhappy, and I know that when I leave your going to worry about me right?" Ash asked softly.

Misty stopped walking and turned Ash to face her. "Ash I've waited this long just to tell you how I feel. I worried about you after you disappeared and before. I can wait, I-I… I love you…" Misty said taking her gaze away from Ash and moving it to the ground as a tear came down her cheek.

Ash stared at Misty for a second, _'She loves me?'_ Ash thought. _'Do I love her? It's been so long, but everyone said that we liked each other when we were younger, did I and just not know it?'_

"Please look at me Misty," Ash said quietly. Misty slowly raised her head so she could look Ash in the eye. Ash saw the tear and gently wiped it a way with a finger.

"I really like you Misty, I think I always have and just didn't know it when I was younger. And after I was kidnapped by Team Rocket… I think those feelings are still the same." Ash whispered quietly.

Misty couldn't believe what she heard; Ash told her he felt the same as her. She wanted to hear him say it for years, but when he disappeared she never thought she'd hear him say it.

"Ash are you telling me you…" She felt her heart well up.

"I love you Misty," Ash said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

The sparks coursed through them. Misty wrapped her arms around Ashs neck and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. A warm sensation spread through them, as they kissed. For them it was the greatest thing they had ever felt.

Misty reluctantly pulled out of the kiss to catch her breath she hadn't been happier in her life.

"Merry Christmas Misty," Ash said softly as he gave her one last peck on the lips. Misty pulled him into a hug and rested her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. She was going to enjoy the time they had left together, she was going to make it last.

Ash smiled at the beautiful red head and wrapped his arms around her. They stood there embracing each other for what seemed like hours, under the star filled sky.

"Come on Mist, lets head back to the lab I need to talk to Pikachu about everything." Ash said as he pulled out of Mistys embrace and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. The duo walked slowly back toward the lab and up the hill and went around back.

It was nearing 11 and the guests had started to disperse as it was getting late. Ash and Misty walked over to where the three Pokemon were dozing on the ground. Ash went over and crouched down next to Pikachu.

Ash gently gave Pikachu a small shake to wake up the tired Pokemon. Pikachu's slowly opened, and gave Ash a tired smile.

"Hey buddy, did you have fun?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded as it stood up and stretched.

"That's good, but we need to talk about something important buddy." Ash said softly but seriously. This gained Pikachus attention.

"Chu ka Pikapi?" Pikachu asked hesitantly.

Ash picked Pikachu up into his arms and looked into his eyes. "Tomorrow I have to leave Pikachu, and I don't know when I'll be back." Ash replied sadly.

Pikachu stared at Ash with disbelieving eyes. Slowly Pikachu shook its head in a 'no' fashion not willing to believe what Ash had said.

"Chuu…"Pikachu cried softly as tears came into his eyes. Seeing tears come into Pikachus eyes made Ash tear up as well. Ash pulled Pikachu into a soft hug, which Pikachu nuzzled deeply into his chest.

"I'm sorry buddy, but this is very important. I'll be back tho, when I'm not sure. But I promise I will," Ash whispered softly. Pikachu responded by looking up at Ash and letting a few tears escape its eyes.

Seeing Pikachu cry killed Ash inside. He absolutely hated this. He knew it had to be done, but seeing Pikachu sad always made him feel guilty.

"I'm sorry buddy, I really am!" Ash said as he pulled Pikachu back into a hug. Ash got up with Pikachu still in his arms, taking one hand away from Pikachu, he reached for his pokeballs and recalled Growlithe and Hitmonlee.

Ash turned back to Misty who had watched the sad scene with tears in her eyes.

"Come on Mist, let's get the others and go home," Ash said sadly as they turn and walked away. The three searched around the now almost empty party for their friends. They found everyone sitting at one of the tables.

The group immediately began asking questions about where they had gone, Ash answered by telling them Misty could tell them tonight or they could talk about it in the morning. But right now he and Pikachu wanted to go back to the house.

They could see that the yellow mouse was down as soon as they came into view. So the group hastily agreed and they headed back to the Ketchum residence.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The group arrived back at the house ten minutes later.

"Alright you guys, Pikachu and I are going to go to bed." Ash said as he headed to the stairs. "Goodnight!" Ash said as he carried Pikachu up the stairs. The group watched as Ash retreat upstairs.

Misty sighed and slumped down on the couch and rested her head in her hands.

"What's wrong Misty?" Dawn asked the red head.

Misty took her head out of her hands and looked sadly at the young coordinator. "I'm really going to miss him…" Misty trailed off. She didn't want to talk much tonight. They all nodded, they were all going to miss him terribly. They didn't know how long he was going to be gone for. Or if he'd even return at all.

The group stood in silence; they decided that they'd all go to bed because they were all tired from that night. They headed upstairs and got ready for bed, May and Dawn brought cots into Misty's room due to the lack of available beds.

Soon the entire house was quiet as everyone prepared themselves for the day ahead.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash was the first to wake up, he got up an hour early then he usually did so he could go talk to his other Pokemon. Getting up carefully from his bed so he didn't wake up Pikachu, he grabbed his bag and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. He changed into his usual black V-neck, and jeans, and put the torn hoodie over top.

He quietly left the house and headed for the lab. Arriving at the lab, he knocked on the door and was greeted by the Professor. "Hello Ash, came to talk to your Pokemon before you leave?" He asked as the two made their way through the lab and out back.

"Yeah, it wouldn't feel right to leave without them knowing." Ash replied as they entered the Pokemon Habitat.

"Would you like me to gather them or would you like to do it on your own?" The Professor asked.

"I'd better do this on my own Professor, thanks anyway." Ash said as he headed off in search of his Pokemon. The first place Ash checked was in the clearing they trained in a few days prior. Unsurprisingly he didn't see any.

He guessed that they'd be over by the lake for a morning drink. Ash quickened his pace as he saw two of his water types. Corphish and Kingler were by the edge of the lake talking to each other.

"Hey guys!" Ash called out to the two Pokemon waving. Ash jogged the rest of the way over to the two Pokemon who were waving back happily.

"I need to talk to everyone you guys, think you can help me round everyone up?" He asked the two crustaceans.

Nodding the trio left the lake and gathered the rest of Ashs Pokemon. Once the group was assembled Ash went over to Charizard.

"Are you ready to return Charizard?" He asked taking out its Pokeball. Charizard nodded one last time to the group of curious Pokemon and returned to the ball in a blaze of red light. Ash then turned to his Pokemon.

Ash got down on one knee, "You guys I've got bad news, I have to leave again and I don't know when I'll be back."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Pikachu twitched its ear, something didn't feel right. Slowly its eyes fluttered opened and noticed what was missing.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted leaping off the bed and into the hall. Pikachu ran through the hall and over to where the girls slept. Pikachu pawed at the door furiously trying to wake up the sleeping girls. After a moment, the door was opened by a tired Misty.

"Pikachu? What are (yawn) you doing?" She asked rubbing her eyes. Pikachu chatted rapidly at her and ran down the hall and back into Ashs room.

Curious Misty followed Pikachu and looked into the room. Misty panicked, Ash was gone! Misty looked around the room and saw that his bag was gone as well.

"Oh no!" Misty said quietly as she raised a hand to her mouth. "DELIA!" Misty shouted as she ran to Delia's room and swung the door open. She ran over to Delia's side and shook her awake.

"Misty what's wrong? You look scared?" Delia said as she saw the wide eyed red head.

"Ash is gone, his bag is missing as well!" Misty panicked!

Delia shot up from her bed and ran past Misty into Ashs room, she saw that the bed was empty and Ashs bag which was kept at the foot of the bed was gone as well.

"Where'd he go!" Shouted Delia worriedly! She couldn't believe that Ash would take off without saying goodbye first!

"What's going on?" Brock asked as he and the other girls came out of their rooms.

"Ash is gone and so is his bag! He's not here!" Misty said worriedly! This wasn't like Ash, he would have left a note or something to let them know he's gone!

"He can't be gone, he wou-" May was cut off by the sound of the front door opening and closing. Delia and Misty bolted down the stairs and relief washed over them as they saw Ash putting his bag on the ground.

"ASH!" Misty shouted as she ran at Ash and threw her arms around him! Ash was pushed back a few feet at the force Misty hit him with. Awkwardly he put his arms around her with a confused look on his face.

"Umm, good morning Misty?" Ash said questioningly.

Misty looked up from the hug and looked at him angrily! "Where have you been? You gave us a heart attack when we saw you weren't here! No note or anything!" She shouted angrily!

Ash still puzzled looked around the group looking for some sort of explanation.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu squealed as it he hopped up onto Ashs shoulder and snuggled against him.

"Did I really worry you all?" Ash asked. He left early so he didn't think a note would be necessary.

They nodded. Ash chuckled sheepishly, "Sorry about that, I got up early so I could go see the other Pokemon. I thought I'd be back before any of you woke up!" Ash smiled cautiously. Misty pulled out of the hug, and punched Ash hard in the shoulder!

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For being an idiot!" Misty said furiously as she turned around and went back upstairs.

Ash watched as the red head he was in love with angrily walked away. Rubbing his shoulder, he turned to the others. "Want me to make you guys something to eat?" Ash asked.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The day passed by faster than how they would have liked, they had spent every minute together, and now it was time to say goodbye. The dark night sky did not have a star insight. Everyone stood outside as the cold night air nipped at their skin making them shiver.

Ash zipped up his hoodie and faced the friends and family in front of him. Giving them a sad smile he didn't know where to begin.

"I guess this is it for now…" Ash said trying to get someone to help things move along. Thankfully Brock stepped forward.

"You get what you need finished quickly so we don't have to keep waiting for you!" Brock said as he pulled Ash into a hug and patted him on the back.

"I'll do what I can Brock, it was great seeing you again!" Ash said reciprocating the hug and patting his old friend on the back.

They broke the hug, and Prof. Oak stepped forward, "Ash it was great seeing you again. Don't worry about your Pokemon, they'll be healthy and ready to go for when your back!" Professor Oak said extending his hand.

"Thanks Professor, it means a lot. I'll be back in no time!" Ash said as he shook the older man's hand. Tracey stepped forward, "It's been great to see you again Ash, get back here safe and sound!" Tracey said as the two friends embraced each other.

"Easier said than done Trace, you take care of the Professor he's not getting any younger." Ash said with a small grin on his face.

Ash than turned to the remainder of the group. The four girls and Pikachu looked at Ash with tears in their eyes. May and Dawn leapt forward and hugged Ash as tight as they could.

"We're going to miss you Ash! You better not take very long; you still have to become that Pokemon Master!" May cried into his shoulder.

"Comeback safe Ash, we won't stop worrying until we see you again! And when you get back were travelling together whether you like it or not!" Dawn cried into his chest.

Ash did his best to hug both girls at the same time; he ended up holding them with one arm each. "Don't you worry May, by the time you two finish in Unova, I'll be back safe and sound! As soon as I get back Dawn, we can travel where ever you like. I'm thinking Sinnoh again; I still have my chance at the Elite for since I won the League right? I'm going to miss you both so much, you guys take care alright?" Ash said softly to the two emotional girls. After another minute, they slowly broke the hug and stood back, tears still streaming down their cheeks.

Ash turned to the remaining three; these would be the hardest for him. Delia ran forward and hugged her son with everything she had. Ash held her tightly and rocked her back and forth like he had when he had first arrived.

"I-I'm going to miss you so much Ashy! Please come back soon and in one piece! And s-stay in touch with any opportunity you have, I love you so much!" She cried uncontrollably into his shoulder.

Ash had a lump in his throat; waiting until it subsided a little he spoke. "I love you to mom, I won't be gone long. As soon as everything's finished I'm coming straight home, to let you know!" Ash said a little shakily, he continued to hold his mom for another few minutes until she calmed down and was able to control herself.

They separated and instantly Ash was tackled by Misty who threw her arms around him and held him tightly. Ash put his arms gently around her and rocked her back and forth. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Misty looked up, with red eyes.

"I-I'm going to miss you so much! I can't believe you have to go so soon!" She choked out. Ash held her tighter, and rubbed her back to try and soothe her.

"It's alright Mist, I'm not going to be gone long as soon as I'm back I'm coming to get you and were going to go travel with Dawn, May, and anyone else who wants to come!" Ash said calmly.

"I just can't stand to see you go, I-I…" She didn't know what to say, her thought process was all over the place right now.

Ash gently tightened his hug on her, "I'm going to miss you so much Misty, I'll think of you every day," Ash whispered into her ear.

"I-I love you Ash…" She whispered as more tears escaped her. Ash semi pulled out of the hug so he could look her in the eye.

"I love you too!" Ash replied softly leaning in giving her a light kiss on the lips.

Ash broke the kiss, and gave her a smile. They broke the hug and Ash turned to Pikachu.

Ashs heart break at what he saw, Pikachu's usually happy cheery eyes were wavering, and tears were streaming down his red cheeks. His pointy black and yellow ears drooped down to the side. Ash felt tears come into his eyes as he walked over to Pikachu and gently picked up the shaking Pokemon.

Ash held him in a soft hug; Pikachu hugged Ash and snuggled deeply into Ashs chest. "It's okay Pikachu, I'll be back sooner then you know it!" Ash said as his voice broke a little.

"Chuu…" Pikachu whimpered quietly into Ashs chest. Hearing Pikachu so sad made Ashs heart heavy. Ash stroked the little mouse's back in hopes of giving him comfort. After a while, Pikachu looked up at Ash.

"Chu ka Pikachu Pika Pikapi?" Pikachu asked.

"I'm sorry Pikachu, I need you to stay here and take care of mom for me, we can't leave her home alone by herself!" Ash said sadly as he denied the old friends request.

"As soon as I get back tho, we're all going back out to compete; I'm going to need my best bud to pull us through right?" Ash asked as he scratched behind Pikachus ear. Pikachu sadly nodded, and looked up at Ash. Ash sadly smiled at his long time best friend, as Pikachu gave him a lick on the cheek.

"I'll miss you buddy, but I'll see you soon!" Ash said reassuringly. Pikachu nodded, and Ash walked over to Misty. Ash gently placed Pikachu into Mistys arms, and gave the group one last smile. Pulling out a Pokeball from his belt he released Charizard.

"Ready to go Charizard?" Ash asked.

Charizard grunted, and motioned for Ash to climb on. Ash walked up to Charizard and placed a hand on his wing before turning one last time to his friends.

"You know, I've always hated goodbyes. But do you know what I've realized? Every goodbye makes the next hello closer." He stated_._

With that, Charizard shot off from the ground and into the night sky. The group watched as the glow from Charizards tail slowly disappeared over the horizon and into the darkness of the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I like and hate this Chapter, I feel like its mostly a filler chapter until I begin writing Chapter 7. I basically just wanted to get Ash and Misty to hook up, than for Ash to have to leave. My original idea of this had Misty telling Ash she loved him, but Ash wouldn't be able to reciprocate those feelings because it would put her in danger.<strong>

** I changed it, because I originally planned on having Alyssa show up afterwards at Ashs house with all the info regarding Giovanni's plan. But I'm still working on those, so I changed it so that Ash had to take off to meet up with her where he'll be informed.**

**I know there was absolutely no action in this chapter, except for Ash drawing his knife on Brock. But in the end it's going to be for the greater good. I had to do a lot of re-editing due to the lack of flow. Its still iffy, but I had to power through the chapter. The main complaint I have on this is how Ash told Misty he loved her, I wanted Ash to semi-reciprocate the feelings, but I couldn't write it so that they could have a moment afterwards.**

**I'm gonna stop whining now about how I wrote this and ask for you to Please, Read and Review with all honesty. This was a tough chapter to write, but I need to know if it was good enough! I've said this many times, but all the criticism will make the story better in the end!**

**_Thanks again and until next time, ThatOneDwarf Signing Off!_  
><strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone, I wont say much, I'll leave it till the end of this chapter. It's a little slow again like last chapter and I'm sorry but ya know... Well I'll leave this to the End, see ya there!**_**  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>[<strong>__**7 Months Later]**_

'It's another beautiful day in the world of Pokemon, the sun is setting and we join our hero as he- '

"Stop Him!"

'Oh wait a second what has he gotten himself into?'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[First Person POV]**

'_Dammit! I thought I lost him!'_ I thought angrily, I sprinted down the empty street and past all of the closed stores and kiosks. I saw an ally up ahead so I forced myself to go faster, pumping my legs as fast as possible!

"Stop him Raticate!" The man on my trail shouted! I turned into the ally and started knocking over garbage cans to try and slow my pursuers. The brick walls were covered with graffiti and trash lay in every corner.

I snapped my head around as I heard footsteps rapidly approaching, "Stop it with Flamethrower!" I shouted to my companion turning my gaze back in front of me! Not looking behind me, I saw the walls glow a dark orange and abruptly come to an end as I heard something hit the ground.

'_Come on I got to lose him dammit!'_ I thought as I took a sharp right and ran into a dead end!

"Dammit!" I shouted angrily, the ally ended with an 8ft brick wall in front of me, I turned to the orange dog at my side.

"We're stuck Growlithe any ideas?" I asked, we needed to get out of there quickly.

"Grow Grow!" Growlithe barked at the wall to the left of me, I turned my head and a sigh of relief came over me, as I saw that a metal ladder ran up the side of the building and to the top of the two story building.

"Thanks buddy, return I'll see you in a minute!" I told him as I returned him to his pokeball.

"There he is get him Houndour!" My pursuer shouted angrily! The black dog beside him sprinted towards me. I turned and quickly began to scramble up the ladder before the Houndour would have the chance.

I felt my feet heat up, but I ignored the pain and kept climbing. On top of the roof, I took off and ran for the ledge that was opposite of the ladder. I got lucky when I saw that the building on the other side was lower than the one I was currently on.

My adrenaline was pounding through me as I ran at the edge. Pushing off with my right foot, I leapt off the roof and onto the building before me. I tried to roll to help break my fall, but ended up rolling, and sliding painfully onto my stomach.

"Shit!" I muttered angrily as I picked myself up off the ground. Ignoring the pain, I ran to the next ledge and jumped to the next roof, it was the same height so I leapt and continued running. I slid to a halt at the end of the next roof and lowered myself down over the edge and grabbed hold of a drainage pipe.

"Shit where'd he go! I couldn't have lost him!" I heard an angry voice shout some distance away. I knew I wasn't safe yet; I slid myself down the pipe and started running down the alley I was in and into the streets.

I pulled the black hood over my head and ran as fast as I could, I took a left so that I was now into a somewhat crowded street. I slowed down so that I was walking at a quick pace, I took a right and entered an ice cream shop. Walking across the store I sat down in the furthest booth away from the window and sat there until I saw my pursuer run by.

I felt my right shoulder and it was a little damp. I could see that my hand was covered with a red liquid, _'Gonna have to fix that before it gets infected…'_I thought as I waited. I sat there for an hour unmoving, taking a look at the clock it turned out that it was almost eight and I had to get to where I needed to before it was too late.

I got up from my seat and headed out of the shop. Carefully I looked around and saw that the coast was clear. I began to jog for a couple minutes until I turned a corner and in front of me was a large domed building with a colorful Dewgong sign.

A grin broke out across my face and I slowed out of my jog and into a walk. I walked up the sidewalk and to the large double glass doors. I wrung the door bell and waited as the sun set behind me.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[Third Person POV]**

A minute after the doorbell rang, the doors were opened by a blue haired girl with brown eyes in her early twenties, she wore a green one piece swimsuit that showed off her slim figure.

"Umm can I like help you?" she asked curiously.

"Hello Violet, I was wondering if Misty was in right now." The hooded boy asked. Violet stared at him suspiciously. He looked to be around the age of 18; his black hoodie was torn and looked as if he had just gotten into a fight.

"Yeah she's here, does she like know you?" Violet asked carefully. She saw a smile breakout underneath the hood.

"Yeah, it's been a while since I last saw her; I think she'd be pretty happy to see me!" He said happily.

Violet raised an eyebrow at him. "And why might that be?" She asked.

He paused for a second. "I'm her boyfriend." He stated simply. Violet stared at him like he was crazy; her mouth was slightly open as she looked to see if he was telling the truth. She tried to see his eyes, but they were hidden in the shadows of his hood.

Violet grabbed him by the arm and pulled him through the door, "Misty! Get down here right now!" she shouted! Violet tapped her foot impatiently while the boy shrugged his backpack off his back and placed it onto the ground.

Footsteps were heard coming from the top of the stairs, "What are you yelling at Vi?" The red head asked as she came down the stairs. She was wearing light blue pajama pants, and a white long sleeved shirt with her hair in a ponytail.

"Who's this?" Violet asked pointing at the boy. Misty had a confused look come over her face, until she recognized the torn hoodie, and the black back pack. A large grin broke out on her face and she ran up and threw her arms around his neck.

"Shay Your back! I missed you so much! Is everything alright, are you back for good?" She cried into his shoulder. Ash wrapped his arms around Misty and held her tightly.

Violet watched in awe as Misty embraced this so called Shay. She knew that Misty still had feelings for Ash, and over the years she hadn't accepted a single date, so this was more then a little strange.

Ash sighed, "It's great to see you again Mist, but I can't stay for long…" He said softly as he rubbed her back to help try and calm her down.

Misty pulled out of the hug, "Why can't you stay? I thought you wouldn't be coming back until you did what you needed to do!" She asked reaching up to pull down his hood.

Violet cleared her throat loudly to get the twos attention, "Misty aren't you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?" She asked raising an eyebrow at her. Misty looked from Violet to Ash, unsure of what to do.

"Violet do you think you could get Lily and Daisy to come down here, you need to know something." Ash stepped in seeing Misty struggle with an answer.

"Are you sure?" Misty asked quietly, Ash nodded. Violet hesitantly nodded her head not sure at what was going on and went upstairs to fetch the other two sisters.

A few moments later the three girls returned and eyed Ash suspiciously. "Alright Misty now spill, what's going on here. And how did you suddenly get a boyfriend?" Violet asked.

"Do you think we could move to the kitchen?" Ash asked, he needed to tend to his arm and he could inform the others on what happened while he did that.

The sisters nodded and went to the kitchen; Ash picked up his bag and followed quickly. The sisters sat around the table, while Ash went over to the sink.

Ash turned to the sisters. "Before I tell you a thing, you have to promise that what you hear right now you will not repeat to a single person." He stated. The sisters nodded.

"I need to hear you say you won't, my life is on the line and yours could be to if you tell anyone!" Ash stated seriously looking each in the eye. The sisters noted his serious expression and could see he wasn't joking.

"We won't tell anyone!" They said in unison. Ash looked over them; he could see that they were telling them the truth.

"Well four years ago Ash Ketchum disappeared." Ash stated. The sisters looked away from Misty as he said that, it was a sensitive subject for her. But they nodded.

"Well here he is." Ash stated simply.

The sister's head snapped to Ash with disbelief in their eyes. The boy in front of them had badly done bleached hair, blue eyes, and was well muscled. The Ash Ketchum they remembered was short, scrawny, brown eyes, and black hair.

"It's true, it really is Ash!" Misty said softly as she looked up to Ash smiling. The sisters leapt up from their seats and ran at Ash and brought him into a tight hug.

"Ash it's wonderful to see you again! You've had us so worried! Especially Misty she has been so sad since you disappeared!" Daisy cried as she squeezed Ash.

After a few minutes, the girls released their hug on Ash, and sat back down beside Misty smiling, with tears in their eyes.

"So I guess you have some questions?" Ash asked the girls. All four nodded and began to throw questions at Ash.

Overwhelmed by questions Ash decided to speak up. "Before I answer do you happen to have any disinfectant?" He asked. The girls gave him a curious look, but nodded.

"I'll go get it Ash hang on," Misty said as she got up from her chair and ran out of the kitchen. As she did this, Ash undid the zipper on his bag and took out thread, a needle, gauze and a half full bottle of painkillers.

Misty reappeared and handed him the bottle of disinfectant. "Thanks Mist," Ash said as he undid the zipper of his hoodie. Taking off the hoodie, Ash could see that the usually white shirt was dark red at and slightly torn at the right shoulder.

The girl's eyes widened at the blood they saw, "Ash are you alright?" Misty asked worriedly. Ash nodded and took off his shirt. Violet, Lily, and Daisy gasped at what they saw. Not at the cut or scar Ash had, but at his muscles.

Ash looked up from the cut, and at the girls with a questioning look, "You alright?" He asked.

"Damn Ash lookin good!" Lily said impressed at what she saw! Ash blushed and rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly.

"Uh thanks Lily," He mumbled as he turned on the tap, and began to wash the cut. It wasn't very big, but it was deep and had been flowing for some time now.

"How'd you get that Ash?" Misty asked, the upper part of the shirt Ash had been wearing was drenched with blood. Ash didn't answer immediately; he took the disinfectant and sprayed it onto the cut. He winced as it stung.

"Well before I answer that, I should tell your sisters about where I've been right?" Misty pursed her lips, she wanted to know how Ash got hurt, but this would help to keep her sisters from talking about Ash to the others.

"I suppose," She stated. Ash took the thread and expertly put it through the loop of the needle and tied it off. He then took the needle and poked it through the lip of the wound, drawing more blood. The four girls looked away at the sight gagging. After about five minutes, the wound had been stitched up and the girls returned their focus to Ash.

Ash took the gauze and wrapped it around the freshly stitched cut and tied it off. He opened his bag, and took out a black shirt; he put it on and began to retell the events that he had told Misty and the others. After a couple hours it was midnight, and he just finished retelling with the help of Misty about when he had left a few months ago.

"So we all spent the day together, and then that night I took off." Ash finished.

"That's so sad, but so romantic at the same time!" Lily gushed.

"And all that leads to why I am here now," Ash stated seriously. The girls noticed his change in tone and stopped talking so they could listen.

"The main reason I came here is because I need your help Misty, it's nothing big but I need you to give a message to Professor Oak for me next time you're in Pallet Town," Ash said as he looked through his bag and pulled out a pen and paper and began to write something down.

"What do you need him to do Ash?" Misty asked curiously. Ash looked up from the paper and folded it.

"I'm going to need to start training with my Pokemon at the lab, so it's a number he can reach me at, and the address he can send my Pokeballs to." Ash stated as he handed the note to Misty.

"Can he call whenever he wants?" She asked, if she could talk to Ash more often she wouldn't mind.

Ash shook his head, "No, the address is over in the Orre Region, the number is to a house on the outskirts where I stay for maybe a night every other month. I'll have my Pokeballs sent there and then I'll take off and train with them in Coliseums or against other trainers."

"Why do you need your Pokemon tho?" Daisy asked curiously, from everything they had been told about Ash, he was trying to keep a low profile and if some of his Pokemon disappear from the lab that could draw attention.

"Well that all brings us back to the present, the reason I have this cut and when I met up with Alyssa." Ash looked around to see that he had the girl's attention.

"I won't tell you everything tonight, because it's getting late. But I'll finish in the morning then take off alright?" Ash asked.

The girls nodded, but Ash couldn't help but see that Misty was depressed about him returning then taking off in just a few hours.

"It's alright Misty, if everything goes right I should be back full time in a few months!" Ash said to try and reassure his girlfriend.

Misty smiled, "I know it's just so hard to not know how you're doing, or if you're even alive!"

Ash nodded, "Well right now I think you're a bit curious about what Alyssa and I planned right?" Ash asked changing the subject.

"Yeah, what exactly happened when you left?" Misty asked, after Ash took off everything had gone back to the way it had before. Except with more wondering what Ash was up to, everyone met up a few times and discussed what he could be doing at that moment.

Ash opened the bottle of painkillers and took out two of the pills. He took a water bottle out of his bag and undid the cap. Putting the pills in his mouth he took a drink and swallowed.

"Well right after I left I headed to Johto…"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_**[Flashback 7 months]**_

"We're almost there Charizard just a bit further!" Ash called out to the tired fire type. Ash and Charizard were soaring over Ilex Forest, they had been travelling hard for three days straight and they were almost at their destination.

Charizard grunted and went into its reserves of strength. Ash scanned the forest below for a small cabin. Ash squinted as he saw a small shape in the distance.

"I see it Charizard, land over in that clearing and I'll walk the rest of the way." Ash stated as he pointed to a small clearing half a kilometer from the cabin.

Charizard began its descent and lowered itself into the clearing. Ash hopped off, and took Charizards Pokeball from his belt.

"Thanks buddy, you get some rest and I'll have food waiting for you once everything's taken care of alright?"

Charizard nodded, and Ash returned him to his Pokeball. Before Ash headed to the cabin, he stretched himself. Riding on Charizard for eight hours straight was not the most comfortable thing, especially when it started to rain.

Ash shook himself out one last time and headed off in direction of the cabin. The forest was thick, and hard to pass through. It seemed like it had gotten harder to pass through since when he, Brock, and Misty had done it all those years ago.

For the next 20 minutes Ash bush whacked until he came to a narrow dirt path. Following the trail, Ash could smell smoke as it was picked up in the wind. Five minutes later the trail ended off into a small clearing where a roughly built wooden cabin stood in the center.

The cabin had shingles missing from the roof, the front door was painted white but the paint was chipped away at the age of the building. The walls were made of round logs that gave it a classic look. To the right of the building, smoke could be seen coming from a short chimney.

"Home sweet home," Ash stated as he walked up to the front door. He knocked three times and waited. After five minutes of no answering he began to get annoyed.

"Oh so funny Alyssa! Open the door its cold out here!" Ash shouted as he began to kick the door not so lightly. After a minute the door was opened by a grinning blond. Ash gave her an exasperated smile.

"Well hey there camper what brings you here?" She asked innocently. Ash rubbed his chin faux thoughtfully.

"Oh you know the usual, running from criminals, traveling from region to region to complete insane tasks that could get me killed. So nothing really." Ash shrugged.

Alyssa grinned and pulled Ash into a hug, "It's great to see you again Ash, I missed you so much!" Alyssa said as she pulled out of the hug and gave Ash a once over. "Really? You grew again! You eat so little but your so dang tall!" she said in disbelief shaking her head.

"I missed you too Aly, mind if we go inside tho it actually is a little cold out here." Ash chuckled. Alyssa smiled and stepped back into the cabin with Ash following close behind.

The inside of the cabin looked nothing like the outside. The room they were in had freshly painted light green walls, a wooden table that had papers and folders spread out over it. Around the table was a two seat brown leather couch, and a black leather recliner.

On the opposite side of the table against the wall was a brick fireplace that lit the room. To the left of the fireplace, there was a closed wooden door, and a doorway that led to a kitchen.

"So Ash should we get straight to business or do you want to tell me about your reunion, it must have been something eh?" Alyssa asked sitting down on the couch. Ash took off his bag and placed it next to the door; and he walked over and joined Alyssa on the couch.

"Well…It was something that's for sure…"Ash trailed off scratching the back of his head. Alyssa nudged him with her elbow to get him to continue. "But maybe we should get the important stuff out of the way first…" Ash said getting serious.

Alyssa nodded, even tho she was quiet curious about how it went, she wanted to get through what she found out as soon as possible.

Alyssa leaned forward and took two folders off of the table. She handed one to Ash and opened the other for herself. Ash read what was on the documents and looked back up at Alyssa.

"Who are all these people?" Ash asked curiously. The documents were filled with names, and a picture beside each name.

"These are pretty much all of the Trainers who are going to be entering the Indigo League," Alyssa stated. Ashs eyes widened. He took another document that was in the folder and read what was on it.

"Is this a list of all their Pokemon?" Ash asked shocked!

"Yeah, Giovanni has been monitoring every Trainer who challenges a gym in Kanto."

Ash shook his head and slumped back into the couch. "So whatever he is planning it has to deal with the Indigo League right?" Ash asked as he scanned the names once again.

Alyssa nodded and replaced her papers back into her folder and set it back onto the table. "Whatever Giovanni is planning is happening at this year's League, but the League is just the beginning!" Alyssa stated as she took two papers off the table and handed them to Ash in exchange for the folder.

Ash took the papers and read what was on them. A confused look came over his face. "What exactly is this?" Ash asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"Giovanni is planning to build something, whatever it is beats me. But whatever it is pretty damn expensive!" she said gesturing to look at the other page. Ash turned the page and whistled.

"Were in God's name would he get that much money?" Ash asked incredulously! Whatever Giovanni was going to build cost well over 5 billion dollars!

"Well as you know when you win the League you get prize money-" Ash cut her off right there.

"Yeah about ten thousand dollars!" Ash exclaimed!

"Yeah but what happens when you become Champion?" Alyssa asked seriously. Ash thought about what she said. Winning a League gave Trainers the chance at entering the regions Elite Four, which would give them a chance at becoming Champion. And since it's very rare that a trainer actually made it to face the Champion, let alone win against one the prize money would be well over a hundred thousand dollars. And then once you win, the interviews, guest appearances, public speeches, greetings, could all tally up to a gross income of around ten million a year!

"But you'd only be able to make a couple million a year; it would take quite some time to get up to a few billion!" Ash said shaking his head, he still couldn't believe this.

"But what about the other regions? What would happen if new Champions were established in Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kanto, and Johto?" Alyssa asked.

"Well, all the money together would probably end up being around a billion dollars after about two years, but there could be some factors that come into play…" Ash trailed off getting dead serious.

"Like a hostile takeover in disguise?" Alyssa asked all though she already knew the answer. Ash nodded.

"Having Rockets in control of each region could eventually end up taking over the League entirely. They could send all profit from each League to Team Rocket and rack in a lot of money! I mean tickets, profits from gyms, just being Champion!" Ash said shaking his head. This was a lot to take in!

"Oh and that's not all of it!" Ash suddenly blurted out, "There's also what Team Rocket does anyway! Selling Pokemon on the Black Market, they could rob banks; the world would go to shit!" Ash exclaimed dropping the papers onto the table and running a hand through his hair.

Alyssa nodded, she couldn't believe it when she first heard of all this either. "And that's what Giovanni wanted you for…" Alyssa trailed off, she wasn't sure what Ash was going to think.

It took a minute before what she said clicked in Ashs head. "WHAT!" he yelled! "How wou- I'd nev- Whe-" Ash didn't know what to think, he was at a loss for words.

"Ash remember what you told me you wanted to be when you were younger?" She asked him.

Ash thought back to when he started his journey, but drew a blank. He was about to shake his head, when he remember what May had said before he left. _'You better not take very long; you still have to become that Pokemon Master!'_

"Oh you can't be serious…" Ash said incredulously. "Are you telling me they wanted to make me the…" He trailed off not wanting to finish because it sounded so ridiculous.

"Imagine Ash, Team Rocket has control of the four top region Leagues, and who knows maybe Unova as well, and a Pokemon Master. The income would be too great to even imagine, it would take maybe a max of five years but it would get done!" Alyssa said seriously, this entire thing sounded unreal but it was all very plausible.

"And what are we going to do about all this? I mean come on I'm drawing blanks here Aly give me something to work with here!" Ash pleaded hopefully. How could he, one man take on the world?

"Honestly Ash I don't know, there's only one thing that keeps coming to my mind when I think of this." She said slumping back into the couch, and putting her feet up onto the table.

Ash turned his head to look at her looking for the plan that would fix everything. "And that is?" He asked hopefully.

"The only thing I can think of is beat them at their own game…" Alyssa trailed off not believing a word she said.

Ash blinked blankly at her, "Huh?"

"Well, what if you could stop them from becoming Champions… Like… I don't know…" She groaned, throwing up her arms in the air as she realized she sounded ridiculous.

Ash just sat there staring at the orange and red flames of the fireplace. Alyssa looked over at Ash and saw him deep in thought, she turned to look at the fireplace and they remained in silence.

They sat there for an hour without a single word being spoken; the fire was now just grey ashes and the dull glow of the remaining embers. Alyssa got up and placed two more logs into the fire and blew on the flames until the logs began to burn. She turned around and saw Ash still deep in thought; she went back around the table and sat down making sure not to disturb him.

"Why me?" Ash mumbled quietly. Alyssa turned her head to Ash; she didn't quite catch what he said.

"Sorry?" She asked quietly. Ash turned his gaze from the fire to Alyssa.

"I don't understand why he chose me; I mean I know Team Rocket wants to take over the world and all. But I still don't understand why I fit into all this… And why is he starting in Kanto first instead of each region at the same time?" Ash trailed off shaking his head.

Alyssa could see he was troubled, after everything he had gone through she wasn't surprised. "I'm sorry Ash I can't answer that first part for you… But my guess is to keep the suspicion level down, start with Kanto because it's close to home, and then move onto another region. And keep going till he controls them all."

Ash sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair. His tilted his head back and stared at the roof, "I think your right…" Ash said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Alyssa asked curiously, she could see Ash was exhausted after travelling for so long and now being filled in on so much information probably drained him of all his energy.

"I need to beat them at their own game. I'll do what they wanted me to do in the first place, than tell the world the truth about what happened." Ash stated still looking at the roof.

"How do you plan on doing that?"

"Enter the Kanto League, beat the Rocket who's entering, win the League, expose Team Rocket, go home." Ash shrugged.

Alyssa sighed. "It's not that easy Ash, if you compete in the League they'll come and kill you."

"Dammit Alyssa I don't have any other ideas!" Ash shouted irritably!

"Sorry Ash…" Alyssa mumbled looking to the floor. Ash sighed.

"I'm sorry Aly, I didn't mean to yell. It's just so annoying!" Ash said guiltily. Alyssa looked up to him and gave him a weak smile.

"I know Ash its fine. But I think your right, you need to compete in the League but as soon as you're recognized you're done for. And how did you think you were going to expose Team Rocket?"

"I dunno, I figured I'd show up and defeat the Rocket. Tell my story and what they are planning." Ash shrugged.

Alyssa put her elbows on her knees and placed her head in her hands. "What if you could compete without them knowing it was you?" She asked.

"I dunno, but if I go incognito people will think I'm just some psychopath pretending to be a dead guy…"

"Well what if you reveal yourself not at the beginning, but at the end of the league? Like the award ceremony?"

Ash thought about it, it was a good idea but…It just seemed like it could go south easily. "What if I reveal myself when I face the Rocket? Like I sign up as Shay, but then come the match I come out as Ash Ketchum. Pikachu and all?" Ash asked as he thought about it.

"It would certainly throw the Rocket off his game and start some commotion. And during the match you could start to talk about Giovanni's plan. Maybe even get him to spill a little bit about it?"

"But say we were going to do that. I'd have to get my Pokemon from Pallet Town and start to train with them. So I'd have to go back to Orre. Actually wait a second!" Ash said as he thought of something.

"What is it?"

"Team Rocket plans on beating the Champions right?" Ash asked. Alyssa nodded. "Well to do that, they'd need some very powerful Pokemon. And Team Rocket would have plenty of those, so how would I be able to beat them?"

"Well you're a more than capable Pokemon Trainer right? I mean you have three of four badges to enter Mt. Battle and you only have three Pokemon on you. And not to mention you have beaten the Battle Frontier, and competed in four Leagues, and saved the world on numerous occasions! I'm pretty sure you can defeat one Grunt." Alyssa said encouragingly.

"But what if we can take away some of their Pokemon…" Ash thought out loud.

"What do you mean?" Alyssa asked carefully not sure where this was going.

"Well what if I give Team Rocket hell by setting their Pokemon loose? Lowering their supply would give them less to choose from!" Ash mumbled as he began to get lost in thought.

"I don't think that's a good idea Ash, even attempting that could get you killed easily!" Alyssa said quickly before Ash got carried away with this.

"That's true, but in the end what if I have to face off against legendary Pokemon? Then I'm screwed!" Ash stated in a matter-of-factually tone.

"You've done it before remember? I've seen replays of your Sinnoh League victory. Don't doubt yourself Ash I know you can do this!" Alyssa smiled at him, reassuring him of his strengths!

Ash smiled at her, "Thanks Aly that means a lot, but I think I should risk it so that we can free the Pokemon."

Alyssa pursed her lips worriedly, "I dunno Ash, I think it's dangerous but I won't stop you from what you think is right…"

"Thanks Aly, how about we go get some sleep and continue this tomorrow. I don't know about you but I'm dead tired!" Ash grinned and got to his feet extending his hand to help her up.

"Alright," Alyssa smiled as she took the offered hand and stood up. Ash walked over to his bag, and reached up and pulled down his eyelid removing the contacts. He reached into his pocket and took out a small black case and put the contacts in.

He placed the case into his bag and followed Alyssa to the closed door. Opening the door was a small room with two beds, and a small dresser.

Ash walked over and laid down on the bed furthest from the door, while Alyssa went to the one beside the dresser and laid down and crawled under the covers.

"Good night Alyssa," Ash said softly as he closed his eyes.

"Night Ash," Alyssa replied yawning.

Soon the two drifted off into sleep thinking over the plan they had begun to come up with.

_**[End Flashback]**_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The four girls stared at Ash unsure of what to say. "So…" Misty said unsure.

Ash looked at the time and it was nearing midnight. "So basically since then I've been travelling around Kanto and Johto messing with Team Rocket, hence the cut I have." Ash said as he pointed to his right shoulder. "And now I've got to get ready for the League, that's why I need you to get Professor Oak to send my Pokemon to Orre so I can start training."

"When do you need me to go to Pallet?" Misty asked.

"When do you usually go? I've got something's to still take care of in Kanto before I head off so." Ash said as he fought off the urge to yawn.

"I can go in a few days, but right now I think we should go to bed." Misty said as she saw the time. The group agreed, and Ash picked up his bag and headed for the door.

"Ash where are you going?" Misty asked curiously.

"I'll head outside the city and setup camp there and be back in the morning," Ash replied.

"You know you can stay here right?" Misty stated raising an eyebrow at him.

Ash smiled at her, "Thanks Mist, I just didn't want to feel like I was just barging in here. And it looks like it may start raining…" Ash said as he looked out the door and saw the dark grey clouds starting to fill the sky.

Misty walked up to him and took his hand; she led him up the stairs and down a long hallway. They passed four doors and came to a fifth and Misty opened the door. "Here you can sleep in the guest room." She said happily.

In the room was a queen sized bed, a television, dresser, and a closet. The walls were painted a light blue and a curtained off window lay to the right of the bed.

"Thanks for this Misty," Ash smiled at her. Misty smiled back and brought him into a tight hug, and rested her head on his chest.

"It's great to see you again Ash…" She said softly. Ash wrapped his arms around her waist and held her gently.

"It's great to see you too Mist," Ash pulled out of the hug so he could look her in the eye, "You should get some sleep I'll see you in the morning." Ash said softly.

Misty nodded and turned away to leave when she stopped because she felt Ash grab her hand. She looked into his eyes wondering what she had forgotten. Ash leaned forward and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

"Good night Misty." Ash smiled. Misty smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips before turning away blushing madly.

"Good night Ash," She said quietly walking to her room quickly. Ash smiled at the retreating red head and walked into his room. Closing the door behind him he put his bag beside the bed and took the TV remote and laid down.

He turned on the TV and changed channels until he ended up on the news. He hadn't had a chance to catch up on the resent news around Kanto for almost a week. He picked up a newspaper here and there, but those were mostly filled with local problems.

Ash lay there for another hour; nothing had really happened in the last week except for some Pokemon Poachers being caught at the Safari Zone who were trying to capture a family of Dratini. He shut off the TV and got up and turned off the light. He returned to his bed and kicked off his shoes and slid under the covers.

He closed his eyes and after half an hour he fell asleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash awoke to the sound of an alarm clock. Groggily he pushed himself up and yawned, he slid himself out of bed, put on his shoes, and took his bag and left the room. It was five in the morning and he wanted to be out of Cerulean by two.

He walked down the hallway and down the stairs. Walking into the kitchen he placed his bag on the table and undid a zipper and took out a container.

He took off the lid and examined the contents. "I'm going to need some more Pokemon food before I leave Cerulean…I may as well go now while everyone's asleep." Ash thought out loud. Ash placed the container back into his bag and headed for the door. He pushed it open, but stopped as he recalled an event that happened not so long ago.

Quickly he ran back to the kitchen and took a piece of paper and wrote something down.

_Gone to store, be back soon-Ash_

Ash finished the note and left it on the table, "I'm not getting punched again…"Ash mumbled as he opened the door and left the gym.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Two hours later Ash and the girls were seated around the kitchen table. "So what do you all want to know next?" Ash asked as he took a sip of his hot chocolate.

The four girls sat in silences as they thought of something to ask.

"Could you give us a brief summary of what you plan to do? Like we get your challenging the League but what about after that?" Daisy asked curiously.

"Well I plan on competing in the League, and continuing until I face the Rocket, then hopefully I beat him and then what we've got planned I need to win the League entirely." Ash stated, he cleared his throat and continued.

"What I want to do which would be great is to get a meeting with Lance-" Ash was cut off by Misty.

"Why do you want to see Lance? What could he possibly due to help you?" Misty asked in disbelief.

"Remember while we were travelling through Johto and we met him at the Lake of Rage?" Ash asked her. Misty nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"What happened while we were there?" He asked her trying to get her to remember.

Misty pursed her lips as she thought back to that moment years ago. "We were at the Lake and there was a Red Gyarados right?" She asked.

"Yes and Lance came in and stopped those Rockets from attacking us right?" Misty nodded, "Then when they ran off he told us something. Do you remember what he said?"

Misty thought as hard as she could but she couldn't remember. She shook her head.

"He told us he was part of a group called the Pokemon G-Men!" Ash stated seriously. Ash could see the light bulb turn on over Mistys head as she remembered.

"And he was there to investigate what Team Rocket was doing to the Gyarados and Magikarp at the Lake right?" Ash nodded.

"So I thought about it and figured that if anyone could help Alyssa and I end this thing it could be Lance and the members of the Pokemon G-Men!"

Daisy, Lily, and Violet looked at each other confused with questions running through their heads. "Umm Misty?" Violet asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why have you never told us that you met Lance?" Daisy answered for Violet.

Misty raised an eyebrow at them and looked at them incredulously. "I have, I've told you a lot about what I did while travelling with Ash. You just never paid attention, because whenever I told you, you wouldn't listen or you'd leave on some cruise!" Misty said angrily.

Her three sisters looked crestfallen, they knew they weren't the best sisters to Misty when she was younger, and when she had come home after travelling with Ash she had tried to tell them everything but they had always ignored her.

"We're sorry Misty, we were awful to you…" Lily said guiltily looking at the floor.

"Yeah we never should have ignored you like we did…" Daisy sniffed as she hid her face by joining Lily at looking down at the floor.

"We're so sorry Misty…" Violet finished guiltily. Misty stared at her sisters in shock. She never thought talking about them not listening to her would get them to apologize. She looked at Ash, who just gave a slight nod in the direction of the sisters.

"It's okay you guys, no harm done I forgive you." Misty said gently, she wasn't sure why her sisters were suddenly so emotional.

The three looked at Misty and got up from their seats and gave her a hug, "Thanks little sis," Lily said as she let go of her.

Ash waited as the girls recovered themselves, after a moment they gestured for him to continue. "Alright so basically once I win the League, I'm-" Ash was cut off by a ringing coming from his bag.

He got up quickly and went through his bag and pulled out a black device that looked like a black version of his Pokedex, on the sides were painted white half pokeballs painted on it.

"Ash you have a Pokegear?" Misty asked curiously.

Ash nodded, "Yup, I've got to answer this I'll be right back." He said as he quickly left the kitchen.

He flipped open the Pokegear and pressed a button, "Hello Shay here." He answered.

"You alone?" A feminine voice came from the other side.

"Yup, we're good Alyssa how's everything going?" Ash asked.

"All good, no new news, how'd it go over there?" Alyssa asked.

"A little beat up, but it's done. I'm over at the Cerulean Gym, I'm going to be heading back to Orre after I go to Ecruteak. I'm getting a message sent brought over to the Lab and I'll have my Pokemon transferred over to me," Ash replied.

"Good, be careful over in Ecruteak tho. Don't get carried away and head back to the Academy." Alyssa stated firmly and seriously.

Ash sighed, "Yeah I know, but I wouldn't mind searching some files over there…" Ash trailed off as he thought of what he'd be able to find out.

"Yeah I know, but I find the stuff we can use, and you piss them off that's how it works." Alyssa stated cheerfully.

Ash chuckled, "Yeah your right about that…How's your training going?" Ash asked curiously.

He heard a sigh on the other end. "Well I can hit a moving target from five hundred meters now that should be far enough right?" she asked.

Ash nodded to himself, "Yeah that should do it, but start practicing from higher elevations you're going to be pretty far from the field so practice from different angles high up."

"Alright sounds good. I won't be able to contact you for some time, maybe two months, and then we can meet up at the League alright?" Alyssa asked.

"Yeah sounds good, I'll talk to you later!" Ash said cheerfully.

"Bye Ash talk to you soon!" Alyssa replied before hanging up. Ash closed the Pokegear and walked back into the kitchen. Walking in all of the girls turned their focus over to Ash.

"Was it Alyssa?" Misty asked. Ash raised an eyebrow at her, but nodded.

"Yeah it was, how'd ya know?" He asked replacing the Pokegear into his bag and sitting down.

"Who else would it be?" Misty joked.

"True…"

Ash looked over to the clock and it was just after noon, "Well I've got to get going soon, so anything else you need to know?" Ash asked the others.

"What else did you talk about when you left us to see Alyssa?" Misty asked curiously.

"Well we just began to iron out the details, and I told her about what happened when I showed up, and left. Other then that we just caught up on what we've been doing." Ash shrugged.

"What did she think when you told her about us?" Misty asked, she'd be lying to herself if she wasn't curious about how Alyssa would react to Ash getting a girlfriend.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked raising an eyebrow at her. The girls sweat dropped.

"Ash you will forever be the densest person I know, I mean how did she react when you told her that you and I are together!" Misty said exasperatedly.

"Oh, well I dunno she was surprised that's for sure!" Ash chuckled.

"And?" Misty asked impatiently. Ash eyed her curiously.

"Well I dunno I was tired and didn't really take notice," Ash shrugged. Daisy seeing Mistys temper start to get the better of her stepped in.

"Umm Ash could you just retell us what happened before Misty puts you in a coma!" Daisy said quickly. Ash shrugged, he didn't see why this was important but it was better than dealing with Misty's anger.

"Sure, so it was the next day and we had finished ironing out most of the details…"

_**[Flashback 7 Months]**_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So when do you need to go to Goldenrod?" Ash yawned. They had been planning for the last ten or so hours, only stopping to eat and feed their Pokemon.

"Well I have to leave tomorrow night, so we should get as much of this done as possible." Alyssa said as she stood up and stretched, it was around ten that night and they were pretty tired.

Ash looked to his companion, "Wanna take a break before we pass out?" Ash asked getting up to stretch.

"Sure, wanna get something to eat?" She asked making her way to the kitchen.

"Sure," Ash followed her into the kitchen, it was fairly small. The kitchen was a square with a small table and two chairs against the wall away from the door, against the wall where the doorway was, was a sink, oven, fridge, and a row of cabinets that hung overhead.

Ash walked over to a cabinet and opened it and took out two cups and a box of cookies. He set them down on the table, and sat down while Alyssa went over to the fridge and took out the carton of milk. She sat down across from him, and poured them a glass.

"It's been awhile since we've been able to do this," Ash said as he took a drink of the milk. Alyssa nodded as she took the box of cookies and took one out.

"Sure has, we don't get much time to relax do we?" She asked as she took a bite of the cookie. Ash shook his head.

"No, no we don't. Hopefully once this is all over that will change…"Ash trailed off as he repositioned himself to make himself comfortable.

"Why don't you tell me about how your reunion with your family went?" Alyssa asked.

Ash shrugged, "Sure why not," Ash said taking a cookie from the box.

"Well after I passed out, I woke up and on top of me was Pikachu," Ash smiled as he thought of the little yellow Pokemon. "And after we got reacquainted I didn't have my bag with me, and that had all my clothes in it,"

"What were you wearing than…" Alyssa asked cautiously.

Ash laughed at her reaction. "Clothes Aly, clothes. But I didn't have my hat or anything, so I had Pikachu get my clothes for me while I waited in the bathroom. After a few minutes my mom and my friend Misty came upstairs and tried to get me to talk, or come out. But I knew how important it was for me to get out of there in case they told anyone."

"So I took a shower, which felt pretty damn good if I say so myself, and got changed and went back downstairs. Then basically I asked if they told anyone I was there, I could see they told the truth that they hadn't. So we reacquainted, I told them about Orre, I made an appointment for my hair to get done, than the next day I met up with them at the lab."

"I showed up and a few other people I knew where there. So basically they found out who I was, a bit of tension at first but then it was all good. I went out saw my Pokemon and we all went inside where I told them about everything that happened." Ash finished.

"How'd they take it, Team Rocket and all?" Alyssa asked, to find out what Ash had gone through would have been rough. But they didn't experience it firsthand.

"Well long story short, they couldn't believe it. And they weren't too happy that I got to know you. But I'm pretty sure their opinions changed after I told them about you." Ash said reassuringly.

Alyssa smiled. "Well that's go-" She stopped as she remembered something. "What exactly did you tell them about me?" She asked seriously. Ash saw how she got defensive and he knew what it was about.

"Don't worry Aly, I didn't mention that. You trusted me with that and I plan not to say a thing, nothing would get me to talk about it." Ash said softly, but reassuringly. Alyssa sighed as relief came over her.

"Thanks Ash, I just got worried there for a minute." Alyssa said gratefully, "Did anything else happen?"

Ash pursed his lips, "Well yeah, remember when I called and asked if there were any Rockets in the area…"

"Yeah, what about it." Alyssa asked curiously.

"Well that's because for a reason in which I'm still processing they decided to throw a party for me, but it wasn't _for_ me it was Christmas party that they said was in disguise…" Ash trailed off as he remembered it.

"And what happened?" Alyssa asked curiously. She wanted to know how they could have thrown a party in less than 24 hours. It didn't seem humanly possible.

"Well I was against it, but I helped out a little by getting the food. But really what happened, was the night of the party I couldn't find any of my friends, so I went to a clearing where I trained with my Pokemon and fell asleep…" Ash said sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

Alyssa stared at Ash dumbfounded with a smile on her face. "You fell asleep when you were supposed to be having a party with your friends?" Ash nodded, and Alyssa broke out into giggles.

"Hey to be fair I was thinking over what we talked about on the phone. And I was deep in thought and I passed out!" Ash said in a very fake hurt tone.

"Uh huh, please continue," Alyssa said grinning.

"Well I was asleep and my friends were looking for me for a few hours, but I was in the clearing so they thought I hadn't showed up. But after a while Growlithe showed my one friend Brock, over to where I was sleeping." Ash shook his head at the memory.

"And?"

"And well you know how you're not supposed to grab me if I'm sleeping…" Ash trailed off to let her put it together. Alyssa's eyes widened.

"So what happened…" She asked unsure of the answer.

"Well I scared him to the point of wetting himself, thankfully he didn't. " Ash chuckled.

"At least he knows now not to wake you up outside…" Alyssa shook her head smiling.

"Yeah but after that, things were…Odd…"Ash trailed off to see if the word he chose fit the situation. Alyssa eyed him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

Ash cocked his head sideways. "Well, he took me over to where the party was and my friends were angry at me, and they started looking me over, asking me where I was and all. They tried to take my knife, and I told them that if they did I'd end the party right then and there," Ash said.

"Safety precaution?" Alyssa asked.

"Yup, anyways I was about to go off on them when… My friend Misty came over to us…" Ash trailed off unsure of how to continue.

"She's the one with the temper right?" Alyssa asked, she had been told about each of his friends before and knew that one of the girls had quite the temper.

"Yeah that's her, and… well she asked me to dance, and I agreed and well…" Ash repositioned himself as he thought about how to continue.

Alyssa grew curious, "And well what happened?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well we danced, and uh she…" Ash cleared his throat, "She uh kissed me." Ash stated simply. Alyssa's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped.

"S-She kissed you?" Alyssa asked in shock.

Ash nodded, "I know crazy right!" Ash said in disbelief. Alyssa went silent, which Ash noticed immediately.

"Are you okay Aly?" Ash asked, Alyssa was just staring straight ahead.

"What happened next?" She asked devoid of emotion. Ash looked at her worriedly.

"Aly are you okay?" Ash asked again, he could see something was wrong with her but he wasn't sure what.

Alyssa nodded, "Yeah I'm fine Ash, so what happened next?"

Ash gave her a once over, but continued. "Well, I pulled out of the kiss right away, and I took her to gather everyone who knew I was there and told them I was leaving the next night."

Alyssa nodded, "Afterwards I went with Misty to talk about what happened, and well I think we're together now." Ash finished.

Alyssa sat there silent, not moving she just sat there. "I think I'm going to turn in early Ash, we can finish planning in the morning," she said just above a whisper as she got up from her chair.

Ash looked over her worriedly, "Are you okay Alyssa, are you not feeling well?" Ash asked, Alyssa was acting strange and it was starting to worry him.

Alyssa nodded and gave him a weak smile, "Yeah, I'm just tired is all. I'll see you in the morning alright?" She said as she went to leave the kitchen.

"Alright goodnight," Ash said softly.

"Goodnight Ash…" She said softly turning to leave the kitchen. Alyssa opened the door to the bedroom, and she closed the door quietly behind her. She sat down on her bed and placed her head into her hands.

She looked up and crawled under her sheets and turned so she was facing away from the door. After a few minutes she heard the door slowly open and close, and heard Ash silently enter his bed.

"Night Aly," Ash said quietly.

"Night Ash…" Alyssa whispered as a tear escaped her eye.

_**[End Flashback]**_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash sat there nodding his head, "Yeah that's about it, she wasn't feeling well and she went to bed. I put the food, and dishes away, then I went to bed." Ash stated simply.

Misty pursed her lips, "Alright Ash, thanks I was just wondering." Misty said thoughtfully.

Ash looked over at the time, it was 2:30 and he had to get going.

"I'm sorry guys, but I got to get going…" Ash said standing up. He took his bag and put onto his back. The four girls got up and followed Ash as he went to the front doors of the gym. Ash opened the door, and they stepped out into the fresh air.

Luckily for Ash, the sun was out and he still had plenty of time before it got dark. Lily, Violet, and Daisy, took Ash into a group hug. "You make it back here safe Ash!" Lily said as she squeezed Ash tighter.

"Don't you keep Misty waiting much longer, you know how her temper gets!" Violet joked.

"Take care Ash, stay safe and come home soon!" Daisy said softly as they pulled out of the hug.

Ash smiled at them, "No need to worry, I'll be back sooner then you know it. And take care of Misty for me; we don't need her getting into any more trouble!" Ash grinned. The sisters took him into one last hug, and let him go.

Ash turned to Misty, who brought him into a tight hug, "Don't take too long Ash, it's hard to see you leave again but I know you'll come back safe right!" She asked looking him in the eye.

"Of course I will Mist what type of question is that? Once I'm done here I'm coming back for you!" Ash replied softly but seriously. The three sisters awed at Ash which made him blush.

"I know Ash," Misty said leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. Ash pulled her closer and the two deepened their kiss and got lost in each others warmth. Daisy cleared her throat loudly interrupting the couple.

She raised an eyebrow at them, "Shouldn't you get going Ash?" She asked smirking. Ash quickly pulled out of the hug, and smiled at Misty.

"You know what they say right?" Ash asked quietly.

Misty shook her head.

Ash sighed but continued, "Every goodbye…" He trailed off so she could finish.

Misty smiled, "Makes the next hello closer…"

"Right," Ash leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the lips, and a quick hug before he turned away and began to leave the Gym.

"I'll see you guys soon, take care!" Ash called out as he waved good bye to the four girls. The four waved toward the departing boy and watched as he went around the corner and out of sight.

"There he goes." Daisy stated. The four nodded. Daisy looked at Misty, "Why were you so curious about that Alyssa girl?" Daisy asked.

"I don't know, I thi-" Misty stopped as she saw Ash reappear around the corner and start running toward them. Ash slid to a halt in front of them.

"Ash?" Misty asked curiously.

"I forgot one thing; I need you to get my mom to mail me something." Ash said as he recovered his breath.

"Umm sure…" Misty replied uncertainly.

"She can send it to the same address that I gave you before. I need you to get her to send me one of my old travelling outfits, hat and all." He finished.

Misty nodded, "Sure, I'll do that in a few days," she replied.

"Thanks Mist," Ash said giving her a quick peck on the lips, and turning around he began running off. "I'll see you soon!" Ash called back as he ran around the corner and out of sight once again.

The girls shrugged and went back into the gym. "So returning to my previous question," Daisy began.

Misty sighed, "Well I thi-" she was cut off by the doorbell ringing. "What is he doing?" Misty mumbled. The four walked over to the door and opened it.

"I challenge the Cerulean Gym Leader to a Pokemon battle!" a girl with pink hair, and green eyes stated to the sisters.

'_I knew that having no challengers today seemed too good to be true…'_Misty thought. "Alright I except your challenge please follow me to the battlefield!" Misty said as she and her sisters let the young girl enter the Gym.

"Looks like I'll answer your question later." Misty said as the two girls stepped onto the platforms of the water battlefield.

The sisters sighed and took their seats in the stands, as they watched one of the soon to be many Gym battles that day.

* * *

><p><strong>And another one bites the dust. I started it off differently then usual, I dunno why but I added in the Announcer from the anime in for kicks. And I wrote my first First Person POV, I don't think it was to bad. But I feel like I use 'I' to much.<strong>

**I consider this another Filler chapter so I could get the plan somewhat revealed. I can do another one of these, but it would take place in Orre..._hint hint..._**

**And whats up with Alyssa at the last part huh? Okay if you've read the story and the bold black letters before the story begins I guess it's pretty obvious. But maybe this will come into play later...**

**What else is there... Oh yes, I've got a few endings playing through my head... And my question is would you like a sequel possibly... Nothing for sure but meh, could happen... **

**But my main question is would you like one more filler before getting to the main storyline, IE.- The Plan, or skip that and just go straight to the main plot? Either way I'll take feedback and from what I get I'll right the next chapter based on that.**

**Slow pretty boring chapter, revealed somethings, and yeah...**

**_Please Read and Review_, Seeing reviews make my day, I take all criticism whether it is positive and negative. In the end it will stand to make this story better, and more enjoyable for everyone else.**

**With that, Thanks again for reading and I'll see you next time..._ThatOneDwarf Signing_ Off!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I had do much fun writing this chapter. Things are different but I'll explain at the end. So for now Please enjoy, and I'll see you soon!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>[2 Weeks Later]<strong>_

"All passengers, we will be arriving at Port Gateon in fifteen minutes. We would like to thank you for travelling on the SS Gemini and please enjoy your stay in the Orre Region!" A husky male voice announced over the ships PA system.

A large ocean liner cut its way through the glistening blue waves of the Gorebyss Sea. The SS Gemini had been at sea for three days. It had left Vermillion City Port in the Kanto Region and was now set sail for Port Gateon of the Orre Region.

A laugh sounded as the message was said over the PA system. "Oh that's a good one eh Growlithe?" Ash laughed. Growlithe wagged its small tail and barked in agreement. "We're the only ones on this God forsaken boat!" Ash stated shaking his head in amusement.

Ash leaned over the railings of the ship and looked at the small spec of land over the horizon. "It's a good thing it's cool on the ship Growlithe, relax while you can because once we dock it's going to get scorching out there." Ash grinned as he took a deep breath of the salty sea air.

Growlithe walked up beside Ash and laid down rolling onto its back. The sun was up in a cloudless blue sky, it was definitely hot out, but with the breeze on the ship it balanced out and kept the temperature stable. But once they were off the ship, the desert heats would begin to roll in and start to make travelling on foot difficult.

Ash watched as the landmass grew in front of them, the lighthouse, and few buildings of Port Gateon were now beginning to become noticeable.

"Well buddy we should start for the gangplank, we'll be docking in a minute or two," Ash said as he stopped leaning on the rail and looked down at the fire type. Growlithe moaned and rolled onto its stomach, getting up he stretched and yawned. The two set off down the ship and over to where one of the few gangplanks were.

They stood there as the ship began to inch its way up alongside a large concrete dock. After a minute the ocean liner came to a complete stop, and the walkways began to lower. Ash and Growlithe made their way off the large ship and took their first step into Orre.

Port Gateon was definitely no Vermillion City, The buildings were all one story high with arched tile roofs, each building looked the same except for two distinct looking ones. One being the lighthouse which towered above the rest, and the other being a building that had a large rusty sign that resembled a Krabby, named the Krabby Klub.

Ash and Growlithe walked for a few hours until they were on the outskirts of Gateon Port, they had no business there and wanted to be well on their way before nightfall. The outskirts were the beginning of the massive desert Orre was located in.

Ash stood by a pole that had a white sign with a black outlined picture of what appeared to be a truck. "We really need to find our own transportation don't we?" Ash sighed. Growlithe nodded and barked once acknowledging Ashs statement.

Ash nodded and they waited for another few hours until a small dust cloud could be seen in the distance. "Bout time…" Ash muttered under his breath, "Growlithe it's time for you to return, I'll see you in a little bit."

He took a pokeball off his belt and returned the fire type to its Pokeball, replacing it onto his belt he waited a minute before a white pickup truck that was covered in dirt sped up to Ash and stopped in front of him.

Ash went to the passenger door and hopped in the truck, the driver was a man in his early thirties who had a full brown beard, buzz cut, brown eyes, and wore a white tank top and jeans. He smelled heavily of stale sweat, due to the desert heats.

Ash closed the door to the truck, and the man turned the truck around going back the way he came. They sat in silence as they continued to drive over the sandy terrain. The driver took a look at Ash and eyed him thoughtfully. He stared until his eyes widened and a grin broke out on his face.

"Well I'll be damned boy I thought you looked familiar! Where the hell'd you go Ash? You went off the grid!" The driver exclaimed delightedly! Ash had a smile breakout on his face and turned to the driver.

"Bout damn time you recognized me John, I was beginning to think you forgot who I was!" Ash laughed. "I had business to take care of in Kanto, mostly taken care of but now I'm back to finish off some Coliseums."

John looked at Ash thoughtfully, "Well you better give me the run down of how things went. People thought you got shanked in The Under!" John laughed slapping Ash on the back. Ash grinned and gave John a summed up version of his family reunion and his recent Team Rocket sabotages.

"My God boy got yourself a little arm candy did ya? Good thing you did, whenever I saw you, you had girls swarmin all over you and you didn't even give them a chance, I was beginning to think you didn't understand what males and females are supposed to do!" John laughed, as he switched into four wheel drive.

Ash raised an eyebrow at John, "Well if you must know I have spent very little time with girls in the last few years, I've only spent time with one who I saw maybe once every other month." Ash stated blankly.

John gave Ash a smack on the back, and laughed. John was one of those characters who like to have a good time at other people's expenses. "Oh come on, you know I'm jokin, we're almost at the Stand now, so get yourself ready. I got a feeling Toby is gonna give you a…Enthusiastic greeting…" John trailed off chuckling.

Ash sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "What does he have planned, I've been gone a year so can you give me a hint of what to expect?" Ash asked exasperatedly.

John grinned, "Well tell him why you were gone, and you may get a few free drinks off him."

Ash shrugged, and looked out the window, in the distance what appeared to be a train seemed to be stuck in the sand. Getting closer Ash could make out gas pumps, and a rusty steam engine with stairs leading up to a curtained off door, behind the train was a large fenced off area that was littered with what appeared to be metal, tires, and a bunch of other junk..

The truck came to a halt outside the train, and Ash opened the door and got out, "It's great seeing you again John, I'll get Toby to tell you about anything that happens!" Ash said giving the driver a thumbs up.

"Alright kid, see you soon!" John shouted, as Ash closed the door to the pickup and turned toward the train. The pickup sped away leaving a trail of dust behind it. Ash walked up to the steps of the train and pushed aside the curtained off door.

Inside was a small café, there were three booths for people to sit at, a plasma screen television mounted on the wall, a jukebox, and a bar. The inside wasn't very crowded, there was a large burly man in his early twenties with messy burgundy hair, brown eyes, a white muscle t-shirt, and a green apron on behind the bar table. And three people at one of the booths.

Ash walked up and sat down on a stool at the bar, the bartender looked up from the glass he was cleaning with a rag and looked at Ash, "What can I get ya?" He asked, his voice was fairly deep and had a slight Hoenn accent.

Ash smirked, "Glass of water, for an old friend and best thing you got on the menu," he stated looking the bartender in the eye.

The bartender's jaw dropped, "My God Ash your back! Where the hell have you been, we thought you died somewhere!" The bartender exclaimed quietly.

Ash grinned, "Nah Toby, I'm not ready to die quite yet. But I do have some stories for you if ya get me my dinner," he said taking off his bag and setting it next to him. Toby went through a door behind the bar, and disappeared for five minutes until he reappeared with a plate with a burger and fries on it, and a glass of water.

"Thanks Toby, now what do you wanna know, I can stay here for an hour or so but then I have to head out." Ash said taking a couple fries off the plate and sticking them in his mouth. Toby came around the counter and pulled up a stool next to Ash.

"Well how about you tell me about where you left to; I thought you were still in hiding?" Toby said quietly so that the other occupants of the café wouldn't hear.

"Well I was, but I had to go meet with the girl," Toby's eyes narrowed, "We had to do some reconnaissance at the HQ. She got in grabbed some info and I decided to stick around in Kanto and Johto and see how everything has been going." Ash stopped to take a drink of water before continuing.

"And basically I ran into a problem a few months ago that led to some… Interesting events." Ash smirked as he said that.

"What happen you see your friends or something?" Toby joked, chuckling. When Ash didn't answer Toby looked toward his younger comrade and saw no trace of a smile.

"Actually I did,"

"Your messin with me man, no way in hell you'd do that after what you've told me!" Toby said calling Ashs bluff. Ash shook his head in amusement; he wasn't surprised that Toby didn't believe him.

"It's true Toby, I was on the run from some Rockets and I got away but a snow storm picked up and I was going to freeze to death. So I said to hell with it and went home!"

Toby stared at Ash in disbelieve, "No shit! You actually did it!" he said in incredulously! Ash nodded as he took a bite of his burger.

"Now you wanna know why I'm back?" Ash asked casually, he knew Toby was burning with questions but he felt like he could toy with his temper a bit.

"Damn straight I do!" he almost shouted!

A mischievous grin came across Ashs face, "Well you can't I got to get going…" Ash stated as he got up from the stool.

"What no! You got time, where you need to be?" Toby asked raising his voice a little. Ash grinned.

"I gotta head to that lovely shack of a home I got and do a few things. After that I can come back and fill you in," Ash said as he picked up his bag.

"Wha-What can I do to get you to stay a little longer?" He asked desperately! Ashs grin got bigger, when Toby had found out about Ashs identity he had been engrossed for every little detail and every little story he could possibly get.

"I tell you what, you check the local papers for where I can buy some sort of vehicle and I'll stay another half hour. Deal?" Ash asked holding out his hand.

Toby smirked, "Deal, now get on with the story telling!" Toby replied shaking Ashs hand vigorously. Ash sat back down and retold Toby about how he reunited with his family, and what he did a couple months after.

"So you've been giving Team Rocket complete hell, and you got yourself a hot girlfriend!" Toby stated in awe. Ash felt the beginning of a slight blush, but nodded.

"Yeah that's what happened, but I'll tell you what happened after I freed the Pokemon from that warehouse once I get back, Ash said as he got up from the stool once again. Toby nodded and got up from his stool and moved back around the counter.

"Alright bud, I'll look into your transportation. When will you be back to finish your story telling, you know I hate cliff-hangers!" Toby said dead seriously.

Ash laughed at his friends tone, "I'll be back early tomorrow, I don't want to risk travelling in the dark. So I'll be back around noon, and I'll finish deal?"

"Deal!"

"Aright catch ya later Toby!" Ash called out as he left the Steam Engine café and began the long trek across the desert of Orre.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash walked for three straight hours, and it had gotten dark. Ash shivered as the desert wind nipped at his skin. During the day in Orre you could expect blistering heat and drought. During the night? Well expect for it to get pretty damn cold.

Ash squinted as he saw a dark object in the distance, "Oh thank God, I thought I'd never arrive!" Ash said thankfully starting into a jog. The sand muffled the sound of Ashs feet as he quickly ran toward a small shack that looked to be just standing.

The shack was missing its front door, tiles were loose and dangling from the roof and laid buried in the sand, planks were one the ground around the perimeter of the small house.

Ash slowed out of the jog and walked to the front door. He was about to enter the small home when his foot nudged against something. "Huh?" Ash muttered out loud as he looked down to see what he hit.

On the ground was what Ash thought was a cardboard box. Ash bent down and picked up the square and read the mailing address. A grin spread across his face as he saw that the package had come from Pallet Town. Ash put the package under his arm and stepped into the shack.

The shack was only one room, in it was a bed, bedside table, a closet, a Pokeball transporter and videophone. Ash walked over to the bed and set down the package. He was tempted to open it, but decided against it. Instead he went over to the videophone and turned it on.

Ash dialed in a number at stood patiently until it was answered. After a moment the screen came alive to show a tired Professor on the other end.

"Hello, this is Professor Oak speaking." Oak stated squinting to see who was on the other end.

"Hello Professor how's everything going?" Ash asked.

"I'm sorry but who is this, it's rather dark on your end and I can't tell who you are…" Ash sighed and went to the bedside table where the lamp was, he pulled the cord and the room was illuminated. Going back to the videophone the Professor could see who it was.

"Oh Ash my boy it's great to see you again! Misty came by a week ago and told us about everything! And I take it your calling about your Pokemon?" the Professor asked.

Ash smiled, "That's exactly it Professor, I'm going to be needing you two send me a few of my Pokemon. I'll be calling once every other week to swap them out as well okay?"

"Of course Ash no problem! Who would you like me to get first?" Oak asked moving off the screen. Ash pursed his lips in thought.

"Well do you think you could send me…"Ash trailed off as he thought about it, "Sceptile... Totodile and..."

"And who else?" The professor called from off the screen.

"Would you be able to send Pikachu over here?" Ash asked. The Professor immediately returned to the screen with a raised eyebrow.

"Ash to send Pikachu over would mean putting him into his Pokeball…"Oak trailed off. Ash nodded his understanding.

"I know Professor, but do you think you could get him to come to the lab. I think he'd be more than happy to stay in his Pokeball for a couple minutes if it meant for him to battle with me again!" Ash said reassuringly.

The Professor looked at him cautiously, "Alright I'll give your mom a call and she can bring Pikachu down." The Professor said as he dialed in a number and waited for the phone to be answered. Ash waited patiently as he heard someone on the other end.

"Hello Professor what can I do for you this evening?" Ash heard his mother say.

"Do you think you could bring Pikachu and his Pokeball down to the Lab?"

"Sure, but what do you need Pikachu for?" Delia asked curiously, usually if Professor Oak need to give Pikachu a checkup he'd wait until the morning.

"Well I'm on the phone with Ash an-" Professor Oak stopped as Delia disappeared off the screen. Oak had a confused expression come over his face. "Delia?"

"What's wrong Professor?" Ash asked.

"Your mom disappeared off the screen I-" He was cut off by the sound of the Labs front door slamming open and shut. A second later he was thrown off of the screen and in his place stood a smiling Delia with Pikachu in her arms.

"Oh Ash honey, we've missed you so much how is everything going? Are you staying out of trouble? Are you changing yo-" Delia was cut off from her torrent of questions by Ash.

"Moooom! I'm fine and yes I'm staying out of trouble and changing my you know what's…" Ash muttered sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh that's great dear; Misty was here a few days ago, she really misses you, almost as much as I do!" Delia said getting teary eyed.

"Aw mom please don't cry, a few more months and I'm back full time." Ash said softly, Delia nodded and held Pikachu out like a doll to the screen.

"Hey buddy how are you doing?" Ash asked his old friend.

"Pi pi Pikapi chu ka pika pika!" Pikachu said smiling delightedly! Ash chuckled at his old friend.

"That's great to hear buddy, but now I got a question for you?" Ash asked. Pikachu cocked his head sideways and gave Ash a curious look.

"Pika?"

"Well how would you like to come back on the road again with me? I'm over in Orre and I wanted to know if you'd like to start training again and compete in battles!" Ash said excitedly.

Pikachus jaw dropped, after a second it nodded its head as fast as he could! "Pi pi pi Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed falling out of Delias hold and onto the ground.

Ash grinned, when Pikachu reappeared back on the screen. "But there is one problem tho Pikachu…" Ash said hesitantly.

"Pika?"

"Well… to get here you're going to have to go into your Pokeball for a few minutes…"

Pikachus eyes narrowed and looked at Ash suspiciously. "Chu ka?" Ash nodded.

Pikachu turned to look at the Pokeball that Delia was holding. Pikachu took the Pokeball into his paws and eyed the orb like it was a death trap.

Pikachu looked slowly up from the Pokeball and to Ashs face on the monitor, "Pikapi chu chu Pichu?" Pikachu asked.

"Of course! As soon as you're over here you can stay out of your Pokeball, I'd never keep you in there!" Ash said reassuringly. A smile appeared on Pikachus face at Ashs truthfulness.

Pikachu looked away from Ash and to something on the ground, "Chuka Pichu ka chu Pikapi!" Pikachu said to the object on the floor. Ash looked at the screen curiously.

"Umm Professor?" Ash asked cautiously. After a minute the Professor appeared from under Pikachu and looked at the screen.

"Hi Ash your mom's here!" He said slightly dazed. Ash nodded his head eying the older man skeptically.

"I know Professor… Pikachu agreed for you to send him over as long as you make it quick…"

Professor Oak nodded, "The address is to the one on the note you gave Misty right?"

"Right!"

"Okay hang on a moment and Pikachu and I will be right back!" Professor Oak said as he took Pikachu into his arms. Pikachu waved to Ash as he disappeared off the screen.

"So mom how's everything going over there?" Ash asked his mother.

Delia grinned, "Everything's great, Brock opened his own Pokemon Daycare and Breeding school a couple weeks ago, your Pokemon have been training hard, Dawn and May are back in Unova, everything has been going great!" Delia said happily!

Ash smiled, "That's great to hear mom, I really miss you guys… Oh and thanks for getting the package here so quickly!" Ash said as he turned and looked at the package behind him.

"Oh its fine honey, anything to get you home quicker! Oh and we also put your-" Delia was cut off by Professor Oak hurrying back on the screen.

"Ash get ready Pikachu is on his way over and he might be a little grumpy!" Professor Oak said quickly. Ash hastily went over to the Pokeball transfer and waited. After a minute a white glowing orb appeared and materialized into a red and white pokeball with a faded lightning bolt on the front.

"I got him Professor!" Ash said happily. He tossed the ball into the air and it burst open leaving Pikachu standing on the floor looking a little irritated.

"Hey buddy!" Ash said cheerfully! Pikachu leapt off the ground with a big smile into Ashs arms.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cooed as he snuggled deep into Ashs chest.

Ash hugged Pikachu tightly, "It's great to see you again buddy, and were going to have Sceptile and Totodile with us as well!"

"Well Ash I'll send over the others now shall I?" Professor Oak asked, Ash nodded.

"That would be great, thanks Professor!" Ash said moving back in front of the monitor. Professor Oak disappeared off the screen and two minutes later a flash of light came from the Transfer Machine and another Pokeball materialized.

"That's Totodile!" Ash heard Professor Oak shout from off screen. Ash took the Pokeball and placed it on his belt alongside Pikachus. Another minute passed and the final Pokeball appeared. Ash took it and placed it on his belt before looking at the screen.

"Alright they're all here safe and sound, thanks Professor, and thanks mom for bringing Pikachu over there!" Ash said sincerely.

"Oh it's absolutely no problem dear, and Pikachu you take care of Ash for me won't you?" Delia asked giving Pikachu a smile.

"Pi Kachuka!" Pikachu said giving Delia a salute!

Delia giggled at Pikachu, "Thanks Pikachu that means a lot!"

"Alright Ash we'll talk to you soon!" Professor Oak stated raising his hand in farewell.

"Goodbye you two, stay safe and out of trouble we'll miss you!"

"By guys I'll miss you to and don't worry we'll stay safe!" Ash said waving goodbye.

"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu said waving to the two on the other end! The screen flicked off and turned black. Ash shut off the phone and moved over to the bed.

"Well Pikachu it's late and we've got a long road ahead of us tomorrow. I'll start to fill you in on how things work in Orre tomorrow aright?" Ash asked setting Pikachu onto the bed.

"Pi Pikapi!" Pikachu said happily lying down on the bed. Ash smiled and unsheathed his knife from his side; he took the package and set it on his lap. He cut the blade across the tape that was holding the top closed and opened it.

In the box was a pair of jeans, a jacket, t-shirt, a hat, and a thin case. Curious Ash took the case and flipped it open. Ash face palmed at what he saw. Inside were all eight of his Kanto badges and a note.

Ash took the note and smiled at what he read.

_Ash, you said to send your clothes and we did. But since you didn't think ahead like always, we made sure to send your badges so you could actually compete in the League… Idiot…_

_Love Misty_

"Pika Pikapi?" Pikachu asked pointing at the box. Ash smiled and placed the box on the ground and placed the case back inside before lying down next to Pikachu.

"Those were my old travelling clothes and our old Kanto badges for when we go challenge the Indigo League…"Ash trailed off as he scratched behind Pikachus ear. Pikachu crawled up beside Ash and snuggled up close.

"Goodnight Pikachu I'll see you in the morning." Ash said softly closing his eyes.

"Chuka Pikapi…"Pikachu trailed off as he drifted off into sleep.

Ten minutes later the two best friends were fast asleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash awoke early the next morning, the trip back to the Outskirt Stand would be a long walk and it would be hard on Pikachu due to the fact he had not travelled long distances in a long time. Especially in high temperatures like it was there.

Ash rolled out of bed and stretched. He took a glance at the bed and saw that Pikachu was still sleeping peacefully. Ash decided to let him sleep a little more until he was ready. Ash went over to the closet in the room and opened the door. Inside were two black tank tops, and two white tank tops.

Ash took off his hoodie and t-shirt and dropped them on the ground. He took the two white tank tops and one of the blacks. He went over to his bag and place one of the white tank tops, and the black tank top, along with the shirt he had previously worn inside He zipped it up the bag and put on the white tank top, and picked up his hoodie.

Ash reached into his back pocket and took out a black bandana which he wrapped and tied off on his head. He then tied the sleeves of his hoodie around his waist and went over the package he received. Ash removed the clothing and the badge case from the box and placed them into a pouch in his bag.

'_I'm going to have to get to work on those clothes in a bit…'_ Ash thought as he picked up his bag and shrugged it onto his back. Ash walked over to Pikachu and gently shook him awake. Pikachus eyes fluttered open and a tired smile came across his face.

"Morning buddy, it's time we got going we have a long day ahead of us," Ash said softly. Pikachu got up and stretched. When he was done he hopped off the bed and up onto Ashs shoulder. Ash smiled, "Just like old times eh?"

"Pi Pika Pikapi!" Pikachu replied giving Ash a smile. Ash along with Pikachu left the shack and began the long walk back to the Outskirt Stand. As they continued across the sandy desert Ash looked to his companion.

"If you need a drink buddy just let me know alright?" Ash said making sure Pikachu knew he could tell him if he got thirsty. Pikachu nodded once again began to examine the new land he was in. Another hour past and the steam engine café came into view.

"You see that train over there?" Ash asked Pikachu pointing to the train in the distance, Pikachu nodded. "Well that's our first stop, over there we'll grab something to eat and you'll meet one of my friends," Ash said happily.

Pikachu hopped off Ashs shoulder and began to run towards the train, Ash laughed at his old friend and took off in pursuit of the electric mouse.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash with Pikachu perched on his shoulder opened the curtained off door to the small café and sighed contently at the air conditioned room. The duo walked over to the bar counter and sat down on a stool. The place was empty, and Pikachu hopped onto the counter and waited for someone to serve them.

"Yo Toby!" Ash shouted loudly, Pikachu and Ash heard a thump in the back room. A second later Toby came out from the back and into the café.

Pikachu cocked his head sideways at the man in front of him. "Well Ash is it time for the stories or are you gonna keep me waiting longer?" Toby asked crossing his arms.

"Well I'll tell you in a moment once I introduce you to Pikachu!" Ash said giving Pikachu a scratch behind the ear. "Pikachu this is Toby, Toby this is Pikachu!" Ash introduced.

Toby gasped, "This is THE Pikachu!" Toby asked in surprise! Ash nodded.

Pikachu smiled and waved at Toby, "Well hello there little fella it's a pleasure to meet you I've heard nothing but good things about!" Toby said delightedly.

"Before I go back to story time, think you could get Pikachu something to eat?"

Toby nodded and pulled out a menu from under the counter, "Sure thing choose whatever you like Pikachu it's on the house!"

Pikachu grinned and looked through the two page menu. After a minute Pikachu spun the menu around and pointed to two items. One being a plate of fries, and the other being a bottle of ketchup.

"Alright then if you give me a few minutes I'll be right back with your order!" Toby grinned leaving into the back room.

A few minutes passed and Toby reappeared with a plate of fries and a full bottle of ketchup. He set the plate down beside Pikachu who gave a happy "Chaa" as a thank you and began to dig in. Now it was time for business.

"Alright start talking Ash I've waited long enough now!" Toby coaxed excitedly! Ash pursed his lips.

"Well I suppose I could start… But did you look into transportation?" Ash asked. Toby nodded.

"Yes I did and I'll inform you once you finish telling your story!" Toby said getting impatient; Ash chuckled but decided to inform his impatient friend. Ash began to once again retell Toby about him taking off from the Rocket ware house where he freed captive Pokemon, to what he told Misty and what he did afterwards.

Toby stared at Ash in disbelief, "Ash you sure know how to keep life interesting, when exactly is that League you're competing in?" Toby asked quite curiously.

"Umm I believe just over three months away…"Ash said carefully making sure he was correct, "Why?"

"Hell I might as well get some prime time television instead of the news that goes on around here. All there has been is the crap going on in The Under," Toby shrugged.

This got Ashs attention, "Wait what's going on in The Under?"

Toby shrugged, "Well I find it to be just a bunch of rumors, the people are saying that Cipher agents have been spotted using the old subway."

Ash remembered the name Cipher but couldn't quite remember, "Who is Cipher, they sound familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it…"

"Twenty years ago, a guy named Wes abandoned a group called Team Snagem who allied with a group called Cipher who planned on conquering the world with Shadow Pokemon," Pikachu's ears perked up at the mention of Shadow Pokemon.

"Pichu ka Pika chu chu Pikapi?" Pikachu asked Ash.

"Pikachu was wondering Toby what exactly is a Shadow Pokemon," Ash asked the bartender. Toby turned to Pikachu.

"Well little fella a Shadow Pokemon is a Pokemon that has its heart artificially '_shut off.'_ Meaning that instead of feeling emotions like happiness, sadness, guilt, and all that they feel nothing. They don't feel any remorse, they will not hesitate to attack Pokemon with full force or even Trainers." Toby stated shaking his head.

"And that happened years ago, Cipher closed the hearts off to hundreds of Pokemon, but luckily a man named Wes put an end to Ciphers plan by shutting down the Shadow Pokemon Program and by purifying the Shadow Pokemon by capturing them and caring for them, showing them love. Something that Cipher or Team Snagem never did."

Pikachu stared at Toby in shock; he couldn't believe that it was possible to close the way to Pokemons heart. He couldn't imagine not having the bonds he shared with Ash and the others.

Ash gave Pikachu a gentle pat on the head, "So Cipher has been seen in The Under, so you and I will have to be more careful when we go there Pikachu." Ash said seriously.

Toby perked up when he heard Ash, "Oh Ash about your transport problem!" Ash perked up as well.

"Yeah what about it, you found a place where I could buy a car or something?" Ash asked hopefully, a mischievous grin spread across Toby's face.

"Hehe, well actually come on out back you two, I got something to show you…" He trailed off chuckling. Ash got up from his stool and Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder. Ash followed Toby out of the café and around back to the fenced off area that looked like a small junkyard was.

"What's back here Toby?" Ash asked curiously. Toby kept walking and went around a tall pile of scrap metal. Ash followed and saw Toby in front of a somewhat rusty object.

"Toby what is that?" Ash asked curiously, the thing certainly looked pretty cool but he had no clue what it was.

It looked like a Harley Davidson motorcycle with only the back wheel and a sidecar. Attached to the side car was what appeared to be some sort of circular propulsion system? The oddest part of the bike was the large eight cylinder engine attached to the front of the bike.

Toby smirked, "You know how we talked about Wes before?"

"Yeah what about him?"

"Well twenty years ago my father owned this place. He and Wes became friends, and when Wes went off the grid his Bike was left here and my pops apparently kept it this entire time! And well… Here it is!" Toby exclaimed!

Ash stared in awe at the legendary bike! "You mean this thing belonged to Wes?"

"Hell yeah it did, and it can belong to you if you play your cards right!" Toby stated cockily crossing his arms. Ash turned his gaze from the bike to Toby.

"What do you mean…?" Ash asked carefully.

"I talked to the old man, you can buy the bike but it'll cost ya!"

Ashs eyes narrowed, he knew what was coming next. "I have ten grand on me, that enough?" Ash asked firmly.

"Boy you should know me better than that I'm a gambler and I'll be damned if I don't get my money's worth of this!"

Ash sighed, "What's the deal? You win and…"

Toby grinned, "I win I get that Pikachu of yours, you win you pay half of what you got and you get the bike!" Pikachu gasped, he had just gotten back and now he was looking to be picked up by somebody he just met?

"Deal!" Ash said sticking out his hand.

"PIKAPI!" Pikachu shouted in disbelief! Ash just agreed that if he lost whatever he planned on doing was that he'd have to give him up! This wasn't the Ash he remembered!

Ash bent down so he was eye level with Pikachu, "Things run differently in Orre Pikachu, almost each unofficial Pokemon Battle you can expect something to be put on the line. I'm going to get you, Totodile, and Sceptile to watch this match. You have absolutely nothing to be worried about; you trust Charizard and Growlithe right?"

"Pi" Pikachu nodded hesitantly.

"And do you trust me? Because everything that happens from now on you have to trust me with my decisions. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to get in your Pokeball, you do it. Pikachu things aren't like they used to be, it's a changed world," Ash said sadly.

Pikachu didn't know what to say, what did Ash mean by it's a changed world? It seemed perfectly normal to him! And sure he would trust Ash with his life, but the shock of this all was still a little high!

"Pi Pikapi…"Pikachu trailed off hesitantly. Ash scratched behind Pikachus ear.

"Thanks buddy, I'll explain everything to you once were in Pyrite Town alright?" Pikachu nodded hesitantly but agreed.

"Alright Ash let's get down to business!" Toby said walking away from the tiny junkyard and back to the front of the steam engine.

Ash followed with Pikachu at his side to the front of the café. Toby stood far at the other end of the café while Ash and Pikachu stood at the other end.

"Is this going to be regulation Orre rules or just a one on one Pokemon battle?" Ash called out to Toby. Toby thought about it.

"Your choice I could care less!" The bartender said cockily. Ash shook his head; he knew what being over confident could due, especially when you have the skill of an amateur Pokemon Trainer.

"Alright let's make this a quick battle, regulation rules no time limit!" Ash called out. Toby waved in agreement and took two Pokeballs out of his pocket.

"Ready?" He shouted.

Ash reached for his belt and removed two Pokeballs, he tossed them into the air and materialized was Totodile and Sceptile.

"Hey you two it's great to see you again, before we catch up tho you three need to watch how regulation Orre battles go alright?" Ash asked the three Pokemon. The three nodded and stood to the right of Ash.

"Alright Toby I'm ready!" Ash shouted as he took off two Pokeballs from his belt. Toby waved back and tossed two Pokeballs into the air. The balls burst open and revealed two small brown Pokemon that looked like racoons. The two Pokemon had alternating stripes of chocolate brown and crème color fur.

"Zigzagoon, to predictable," Ash muttered out loud. Ash tossed his pokeballs into the air and the two fire types emerged.

"Alright Charizard start things off with a Flamethrower and Growlithe use Takedown on the one on the right!" Ash commanded.

Charizard opened its powerful jaws and sent a powerful jet of fire toward the small raccoon Pokemon. The flames connected and the Zigzagoon fainted instantly.

"Crunch, dodge and use head butt!" shouted Toby! Growlithe lunged at Crunch but missed at the speed of the smaller Pokemon. Crunch threw its weight at Growlithe, but the fire type made an easy dodge and leapt out of the way.

"Great job Growlithe use Flamethrower followed by Extreme Speed!" Ash shouted pointing to Zigzagoon! Growlithe opened its mount and shot a smaller torrent of flame toward the remaining Zigzagoon. The flames impacted the smaller Pokemon sending it sliding across the sandy floor.

"Quick get up Crunch!" Toby shouted! But it was too late; as soon as Growlithe ended the flamethrower it disappeared from sight and with blinding speed he slammed head first into the downed Zigzagoon with tremendous power.

Crunch flew through the air and landed on the ground with a thud with swirls in its eyes. "Nice try guys, thanks for trying!" Toby said sympathetically as he recalled his two Pokemon.

"Great job you two!" Ash cheered happily walking over to congratulate the two fire types! Toby walked over and held out his hand.

"Good match you guys, I'm not surprised I lost, but it was worth a shot!"

Ash took the offered hand and shook it firmly, "I have a feeling you went easy on us, you're not going soft are you?" Ash asked.

Toby chuckled, "Yeah yeah you got me, now let's head back to the yard and take a look at that bike eh?" Ash nodded.

"You head back I have to talk with the Pokemon quickly first," Ash said quickly. Toby nodded and headed for the Junkyard.

Ash turned and faced the three new additions to his team. "In Orre, regulation battles are all double battles. And they will be a lot more difficult than the one you saw here. The training we will be doing is to build our strength, speed, focus, and most importantly the trust and bond between us." Ash looked at the three two see if they understood. They nodded and he continued.

"The next two weeks for us will be a long road, but in the end it will be worth it! What our current goal is once we finish here we're going to a place called Pyrite Town where we'll be participating in a Coliseum, which is a six or seven round tournament that determines the top Trainer. And the top Trainer then gets to face off against the Coliseum Master; which is basically the Gym Leader of the Coliseum."

The Pokemon nodded their understanding, "Alright return for now and we will train in a few hours," Ash said as he recalled Totodile, Sceptile, and Charizard.

"Alright let's go check on that bike!" Ash said grinning, Pikachu hopped onto Ashs shoulder and Growlithe walked beside Ash.

The trio walked through the cluster of scrap metal and found Toby beside the bike staring at it intently.

"So should we roll it out of here or how does it work?" Ash asked he looked curiously at the bike.

Toby shrugged, "Beats me, let's roll it out of here and get it to where we have some free space." Ash and Toby lifted the front end of the bike and wheeled it out backwards out of the junkyard.

They brought it around front and next to one of the gas pumps. Ash cocked his head sideways as he examined the bike. "First things first how do we turn it on?" Ash asked.

Toby once again shrugged, "Look for a switch or something?"

The four began to search around the bike for something to turn on the mysterious motorcycle. After five minutes, Pikachu came up to a concealed switch and pushed it up. The bike roared to life the front end rose off the ground and began spewing dark grey smoke from the engine!

The group reared back in fright as the bike came alive! "Well it works at least!" Ash said excitedly! Ash may have been on a mission to train his Pokemon and take down Team Rocket. But that didn't mean he wasn't a teenager. He had never driven anything in his life due to the high security of the Rocket facility and the need of keeping his identity a secret.

"Should we fill it with gas? I mean after all these years it must need a refill right?" Toby suggested. Ash shrugged and went over to the nearest gas pump and brought the nozzle over to the bike. On the right side of the back of the bike was the fuel tank. Ash undid the cap and placed the nozzle in filling it until he thought it was full.

Ash replaced the cap and looked at Toby, "Is it good to go?" he asked hopefully, he was starting to get nervous at the anticipation of driving such a cool vehicle!

"I guess why not give it a shot!" Toby said encouragingly! He was starting to get anxious to see if this bike could actually still run.

"Alright you two hop in the side car!" Ash exclaimed to his two Pokemon. The two looked at each other before shaking their head at Ash. Ash face faulted, "What how come it'll be fun!" Ash said as he placed his backpack underneath the seat of the side car.

"Pika Pika Pikachu…" Pikachu said a little worriedly.

"Pfft! Nothing's going to go wrong Pikachu hop in and see!" Ash said as he put one leg over the driver's seat and got into position.

Pikachu and Growlithe slowly made their way over to the sidecar and hopped in. Ash turned back and grinned at Toby. "So what next?" Ash asked.

"Give it a kick start! And get that engine purrin!" Toby shouted getting jittery! Ash did as he was told and the engine roared to life waking up all life within a mile before quieting down to just above a rumble.

"Oh god this is going to be good!" Toby muttered.

"Now?" Ash asked jumpily, the sound of the engine going got his heart pounding and he couldn't wait to see this puppy in action!

"Now floor dude!" Toby shouted punching his fist in the air! Ash looked from Toby to the bike to his Pokemon who were now holding on for dear life.

"Shouldn't I take it slowly? Like start like I have training wheels and then work my way up?" Ah suggested.

Toby crossed his arms and shook his head, "No way man, training wheels are for sissy's! Burn that puppy into the ground!" Toby shouted in excitement!

A humongous grin lit up on Ashs face, he was just going to floor it and hope for the best. He looked to the two terrified Pokemon beside him, "Are you guys ready!" Ash was beginning to shake his adrenaline was starting to go because of the suspense!

Growlithe and Pikachu shut their eyes and held on to the seat as tightly as possible. Ash turned his gaze in front of him; he revved the engine twice before turning to Toby with excitement lighting up every inch of his face.

"Give me a countdown Toby!" Ash shouted excitedly! Ash heart was hammering in his chest.

"Ready Ash!" Ash gave a thumbs up and put his hand back onto the handle.

"3 2 1 FLOOR IT!" Toby shouted at the top of his lungs! Ash pulled far back on the throttle, the engine roared like a thousand angry Charizards! Ash excepted the bike to shoot forward faster than the speed of light but what happened caught him off guard.

The bike hadn't moved an inch. Pikachu and Growlithe opened their eyes at the lack of movement. Ash turned back to Toby his hopes had been killed.

"Toby I think its bro-KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" The bike shot off from a standstill to 100mph in a split second!

The wind deafened Ash as it rushed past his ears; the desert terrain seemed to disappear before Ash could even see it! Ash hunched down increasing the speed of the bike, Ash noticed in the distance a small rock outcrop that could possibly be used as a ramp. The bike flew up the rock and into the air, "YAHOO!" Ash shouted excitedly as the bike landed back onto the sandy desert floor.

Ash was having the time of his life, his adrenaline was pounding at the thrill of driving and racing faster than he ever had before. He leaned left and the bike kicked up a large trail of dust behind him as he began to turn back towards the Outskirt Stand. The steam engine came into view and Ash knew he had to make a fancy stop!

"HOLD ON GUUUUYS!" Ash shouted as loud as he could for his two Pokemon to hear. Ash sped toward the Outskirt Stand at blinding speed, 300 meters away Ash slammed on the breaks and leaned left on the bike.

The momentum of the bike sent it sliding forward the rest of the way to Toby who was watching awestricken at Ash and the bike! The bike skidded to a halt a meter in front of Toby.

Ash had the widest eyes and the stupidest grin possible on his face, "TOBY DID YOU SEE THAT THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Ash shouted as he wobbly stepped off the bike. As soon as he was on both feet he fell to the ground.

Toby came up to Ash and helped the shaking boy to his feet. Pikachu and Growlithe were still frozen in fear in the sidecar with their fur blown backwards giving them and extra fluffy look.

Ash reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. "Here-Here you go Toby this is bike is in great hands!" Ash said still wide eyed, slapping ten grand into Toby's hand.

Ash shakily went back to his brand new bike and stepped back on, _'Oh God I am going to have so much fun with this thing!'_ Ash mentally squealed on the inside so that the others wouldn't hear him.

"I'll see you soon Toby! You take care no-OOOOOOOW!" Ash shouted the last part as he and the two Pokemon rocketed off to the West toward Pyrite Town.

Toby stared dumbfounded as Ash drove off into blistering deserts of Orre.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay this a completely different chapter. I'll be doing one more Chapter in Orre before making Ash head off to the Indigo League. Now your probably wondering why I gave Ash a tricked out Motorcycle? <strong>

**1- He needed a way to get around Orre, and sure I could have used Charizard but hey where is the fun in that?**

**2-I loved Pokemon Colosseum and Wes's bike was beast so yeah.**

**And your probably wondering what the point of this Chapter was? This chapter was about Ash having fun... That will most likely if what i have planned in my head have to deal with future events in the story. Oh and where'd Ash get get 10K? From winning the other three Colosseum.**

**Toby, and John know Ash from something that happened. I don't think i can implement it into the story on how they met. So maybe an idea of a One-shot in the future? **

**What else... Oh yes the most important thing! I have noticed that the story is getting a little to... Cheery for my liking, so expect a chapter or two in the future to be a little darker. (Hopefully!)**

**Anyways don't expect a new Chapter for another week, possibly around next Monday. (Not Tomorrow)**

**And please _READ AND REVIEW_ I love criticism whether it is good or bad it helps me make the story better and more enjoyable in the future.**

**And with that... Thanks again and _ThatOneDwarf_ Signing Off! **


	9. Chapter 9

**I finished this chapter yesterday, but it was late and I still wanted to do some editing on it. I will discuss a lot of what happened in this Chapter at the end. So until then Please Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Pikachu use Thunder and finish this with a Jump Kick Hitmonlee!" Ash shouted pointing to the blue turtle picking itself off of the ground. Pikachu jumped into the air and released a devastating lightning bolt at the Squirtle sending it flying into the air.<p>

"Squirtle get yourself together and murder that thing!" A brunette teenager shouted angrily. The Thunder attack ended and Hitmonlee ran up and jumped into the air swinging a round house kick into the heavily damaged water type.

Hitmonlee connected and sent the Squirtle soaring past its Trainer and into the rusty wall of the circular room. A whistle blew and an announcement was made, "The winner of the finals and advancing to face The Under's Coliseums Master is Shay Flasoda!" a female voice announced.

"Great job you two, that was excellent team work, I couldn't be more proud of you both!" Ash said cheerfully walking over to the two tired Pokemon.

"Great job Hitmonlee I'll see you in a bit," he said recalling the faithful fighter to his Pokeball. Ash picked up Pikachu and held him in his arms as he walked over to his defeated opponent.

"Great battle, we haven't been in a tough one like that in a long time." Ash said extending out his hand.

The brunette scowled but took the offered hand, "Thanks, next time you won't be so lucky with that Totodile of yours. Good luck with the Master tho,"

Ash smiled, "Thanks a lot; I'll be seeing you around." Ash turned around and left the circular battlefield. He walked up to a rusty black door and shoved it open; on the other side was a computer, and two desks.

Ash walked up to the desk furthest away from where he entered, "I'd like to heal my Pokemon," Ash said to the burgundy haired woman behind the counter. She nodded and pulled out a tray.

"Alright place your Pokeballs on the tray and they should be done in a couple hours," Ash did as told and placed Pikachu next to it. As soon as Pikachu was on the desk he jumped back into Ashs arms.

"Chu ka pika pika Pikapi," Pikachu asked Ash desperately.

Ash pursed his lips as he thought about what Pikachu asked, "Alright, but if you don't want to stay you'll need to rest at least," Ash put Pikachu onto his shoulder and looked back at the nurse. "How long do you think it will take before they are ready for tomorrow?"

"A couple hours max, maybe four or five hours."

"Alright thanks," Ash said as he began to walk toward the computer.

"Oh and nice battle out there," The nurse winked at him and left into a room behind the counter with his Pokeballs. Ash shook his head and sat down at the computer; he typed something in and clicked a link.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked staring at the screen. Ash didn't answer immediately, but continued reading the text on the screen.

"Remember when we went to the bar down here?" Ash asked, Pikachu scowled but nodded. "Well the man I talked to gave me a bit of a history lesson on Orre and I learned about Cipher…" Ash trailed off as he clicked another link.

"So right now I'm looking to see if there was actually a train system that ran underneath the Coliseum, and if there is then we are going to go on a little field trip." Ash finished. Pikachu eyed Ash skeptically; he didn't necessarily like the mining city he was in. Nor did he really like Orre in general, he and Ash had already gotten into a bit of trouble when they arrived at old mining shaft that led to The Under.

Ash had decided to take a shortcut and skip Pyrite Town, and go straight through an abandoned mineshaft that led into the Coliseum itself. But that had been a few days ago. The previous day, Ash had gotten into a bar fight with a couple of goons who thought he looked like he could be worth a hefty amount of money.

So Ash stepped in and… Made sure that they wouldn't lay a hand on him, or try anything while they slept. He had been in Orre for almost four days, and he didn't like it at all, he now understood when Ash had said _'It's a changed world.'_

"Pi chu Pikapi?" Pikachu asked, cautiously.

"Well… I was planning on going by myself while you were resting, but since you're coming with me we'll be going to the lab where Cipher tested, and… Manufactured Shadow Pokemon. So if you do not want to come let me know now, because once I get the directions we'll be heading out."

Pikachu tensed a little, going to a lab where Pokemon were tested on didn't seem like the safest idea. But he loved new things and new adventures, and Ash may need his help with this so he was obligated to go.

"Pi chukka chu Pika Pikapi?"

"Well since Cipher was said to be seen down here the only explanation I could come up with is that they have been using the old railway they had used years ago to transport Shadow Pokemon. But the Railway was destroyed, so we have to go to the lab to get in." Ash said as he closed the window on the computer and shut it off.

"Pi pi Pikapi," Pikachu shrugged. Ash smiled and got up from the chair and walked over to a rusty steel door with a button beside it. Pressing the button the steel door slid into the wall and inside was a rickety elevator.

Ash stepped inside, and pushed another button. The door slid shut and the elevator began to rise into the darkness. After a two minute ride they arrived at an open shaft and stepped off the elevator. Ash began walking through the dark, narrow mineshaft.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After a couple minutes they appeared at the entrance of the mine shaft, and covered their eyes as the light blinded them. The sun glared down and hot air pelted them with the desert heats.

"Where'd we park the bike Pikachu?" Ash asked as his eyes adjusted. Pikachu mumbled something and pointed to the right of the mineshaft. Ashs gaze went to where Pikachu was pointing and saw a rock outcrop.

"Right thanks buddy," Ash said as he began to walk over to the outcrop fifteen meters away. Walking around back hidden in the shadows was Ashs newly purchased bike. He had a dreamy look wash over his face as he smiled at the bike.

Quickly he put his bag under the seat of the sidecar and placed Pikachu onto the seat. Putting his foot over the driver's seat he turned on the bike and it roared to life. Ash gave the bike a kick start and the bike was ready to roll.

"Ready Pikachu?" Ash asked cheerfully, he had grown a close bond with his new vehicle and looked forward to whenever he got to drive it. Pikachu gave Ash a thumbs up and slumped back into the seat. Pikachu and Growlithe had learned that it wasn't as scary driving if you just relaxed instead of holding on as tightly as possible.

Ash revved the engine and started off at an okay speed, nothing like when he had first driven. Ash picked up speed and looked at his companion, "Pikachu you should get some rest, you just battled and the lab is still some time away." Ash shouted over the noise of the motorbike.

Pikachu nodded and leaned against the side of the sidecar as a pillow and closed his eyes. Ash sped up and turned into a narrow canyon, he continued down the cursive path for an hour before it came to an end and he ended up back in the desert.

Ash banked right and looked toward the sun, the sun would be setting in a few hours and it would begin to get cold. The two continued driving for another hour until a rectangular white building came into view.

Around the building were gas tanks and a few generators, sticking out from the ground were short pillars around the perimeter of the building which at one point looked to be an electric fence. Ash slowed down and drove behind the building.

Ash got off the bike and shut off the gas but left the bike running. Gently Ash shook Pikachu awake, "We're here buddy, the sooner we start, the sooner we can get out of here…" Ash said picking the electric type up off of the seat.

Pikachu hopped out of Ashs arms and onto his shoulder. Ash took his bag and took out a flashlight and his Pokegear.

He put the Pokegear into his pocket and walked over to one of the two metallic doors of the building. Ash pushed buttons on the control panel next to the door but nothing happened. Ash nudged the door with his foot and sighed.

"Pikachu do you want to try an Iron Tail on this thing try and bust it open?" Ash suggested, Pikachu shrugged and hopped off of Ashs shoulder. Pikachus tail began to glow a bright white and he leapt at the door.

Pikachus tail impacted the door, and a clang rang throughout the desert. Ash sighed, the door was dented but it wouldn't be breaking anytime soon. "It was worth a shot buddy, let's try and find a vent or something…"

Pikachu nodded and began to search around for something to get through. After a couple minutes Ash heard another clang, followed by his name, "Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted.

Ash ran around to the side of the building and saw Pikachu on the roof of the building. "How'd you get up there?" Ash called up to Pikachu. Pikachu disappeared from sight, and a second later he reappeared around the corner of the building and next to Ash.

"Pikachu Pika chu," Pikachu said motioning for Ash to follow. Ash did as told and saw Pikachu standing on the bike, Pikachu leapt off of the bike and onto a very narrow ledge near the top of the building. He then went the length of the building and hopped up onto a slanted part of the roof.

Ash made a _'might as well'_ face and followed Pikachus example. He climbed onto the driver's seat and stood up; shakily he reached for the ledge and grasped it. He counted to three and kicked off the bike and swung one leg onto the ledge with the other dangling.

Ash pulled himself up so that he was standing, since Ash was taller than Pikachu he had no need to go down to the slanted part of the roof so he reached up and pulled him up onto the roof until he sat in front of Pikachu.

"So we go down there?" Ash asked, in front of him was a now destroyed vent that led into a pitch black room. Pikachu nodded, "Alright I'll go down first and tell you if it's safe."

Ash placed the flashlight into his back pocket and slid himself over the edge of the hole and lowered himself down as far as he could go. Once he was hanging on by his fingertips he let himself go and dropped to the ground.

Ash landed in a crouch and took out his flashlight and clicked it on. Ash shone the light around the dust coated walls, the room had chairs and a table lay against the walls. He walked over to the table and picked up something that was on it.

Ash blew on it and immediately regretted it as dust filled his lungs making him cough. The object Ash held was a very old magazine,_ Trainers Digest._ Curious Ash flicked it open and saw that the magazine was all about which Pokemon would be a nice catch, or tough to beat. There were sections about recently discovered Pokemon…

Ash chuckled, _'On September 22 Explorer Jason Higgins discovered a new breed of species. The Pokemon is an apparent evolved form of the Eevee evolution line. The new species was found deep within Eterna Forest and-'_ Ashs thoughts were cut off by Pikachu.

"Chu ka pi Pikapi?" Ash walked over to the hole in the roof and looked up.

"Okay buddy hop down, I'll catch you."

Pikachu fell from the roof and landed in Ashs arms. Ash placed him on his shoulder and tossed the magazine back onto the table.

Ash getting back to business shone the light once around the room and stopped at a door. Ash slowly twisted the doorknob and slowly opened the door. The light illuminated the room and revealed a stair case leading downwards.

"Looks like we're going down…" Ash shone the light on the steps as they carefully climbed down the creaking staircase. After going down five levels Ash stopped at a door and read label, '_Research and Development.'_ "What do you say buddy?"

Pikachu nervously nodded, and watched as Ash opened the door. As soon as they stepped in they could feel the change in atmosphere, it was dark, chilling, and eerily quiet. Ash shone the light over the room.

The room was filled with cabinets and a table with CD's, papers, a computer, and pens scattered across the top. Ash quickly walked to the right and out the next door. "Buddy if you feel something isn't right tap me twice alright,and don't say anything…"

They were now in a hallway, the walls were originally white but now they were brown with age and dust. Ash silently walked down the hall and took a left; there was a door that read, _Data and Samples_. Ash was curious but decided against it, he was here to see if Cipher had indeed returned, not go snooping for old information

They continued searching for half an hour until they came to another staircase. Silently they made their way down and couldn't help but stop at the room that said _Manufacturing and Storage_. "What do you think buddy… should we go in?"

Ash knew Pikachu would be scared to go see where the Pokemon were tested, but this could lead to info about Cipher. Pikachu closed his eyes and nodded. Ash slowly pushed the door open and his heart stopped at what he saw. The room was from the ground up filled with rows of cages. But that's not what scared Ash.

The cages were full.

"Pikachu don't open your eyes!" Ash whispered quietly closing the door behind him. The Pokemon in the cages appeared to be sleeping. Ash stopped in front of a cage and looked at the Pokemon inside.

A Buneary looked nearly starved; its ribcage could be seen underneath its brown fur. Ash didn't like this one bit, not because of the Pokemon in the cages. But the fact that this lab was supposed to be abandoned.

Ash walked through the hundreds of cages in a crouch. He stopped when he saw a windowed off room with a light three rows of cages down. "Do not open your eyes Pikachu…" Ash whispered as he drew his knife. Ash moved with the shadows until he was beside the window to the room.

He could hear voices inside, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Very slowly Ash inched his head in front of the window until he could see inside. Inside the room were cabinets, computers and one person sitting at a table talking into an intercom.

Ash took Pikachu and took him off his shoulder. "Pikachu I'll be back in two second… Do not move, keep your eyes closed, and cover your ears…" Ash whispered as he crouched down and silently moved under the window sill.

Ash gripped his knife tighter and went over to the door. The door made no noise as it was opened inch by inch. Ash could now hear the voices, "When do they need the next batch?" The person asked.

"Two hours, followed by a disposal of the older specimens." A female voice on the other end spoke. The person nodded.

"Alright, Tango 31 out." He finished sitting down in a chair and putting his feet up on the table. The person wore white, and that's all Ash could see. Luckily the person was facing away as Ash stepped into the room and approached the person from behind.

In a split second, Ash gripped the person around the neck into a choke hold and ripped him out of his seat. Ash brought the tip of the knife to the persons back and applied a little pressure to stop him from squirming. After a few seconds the person went limp and Ash dropped him onto the ground.

Quickly Ash left the room and went back out and picked up Pikachu and brought him into the room. "Alright Pikachu, it's safe to open your eyes, just don't look behind you." Ash said as he dragged the person behind the table and leaned him against the side of a cabinet.

Pikachu opened his eyes and looked at Ash who was searching the body, "Pichu Pika Pika?"

"No I didn't kill him Pikachu, he's just out cold." Ash stated as he looked over his victim. He wore dress pants, and a white lab coat.

Ash shrugged and went over to the cabinets; he slid one of the drawers open and took out a pile of files. Ash flicked one open and began to skim what was written. Pikachu watched intently as Ash moved on from file to file.

"Ciphers back Pikachu… All the documents are from pas-" Ash stopped when he read something. Ash quickly went over to a new cabinet and tore it open; skimming through the files he pulled one out and began to read.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked nervously. Ash was acting strange, and the fact that Cipher was back didn't sit well with him. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Ash ignored Pikachu and continued reading.

Ash looked up from the documents with a nervous look on his face. "Pikapi?" Pikachu asked again getting scared at Ashs actions.

Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out his Pokegear and flipped it open. He typed in a number and waited.

A second later he spoke. "Sierra 227 I repeat Sierra 227. Meet me at the Cabin Aly major breakthrough, I'm leaving Orre and heading straight there!" Ash stated as calmly as possible. Quickly he hung up and changed settings on the Pokegear.

Pikachu watched wide eyes as Ash began taking dozens of photos of the files. After fifteen minutes Ash finished and searched through the files once again and took out a stack. He replaced all the files he took out, except for the pile he just removed and turned to Pikachu.

"Come on buddy, we can't stay here, we're going to The Under to grab the others, then we leave Orre." Ash stated as he picked up Pikachu and opened the door to the room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash silently jogged through the maze of captured Pokemon, and took out the flash light and turned it back on, he pushed the door he came through open and climbed the staircase as fast as he could. Ash sprinted through the building looking for the first staircase he came through. "Pichu Pika Pika Pikapi!" Pikachu asked worriedly, Pikachu could see Ash was scared, and that wasn't helping one bit.

"Which way Pikachu, do you reme-" Ash was cut off by a siren blaring throughout the building.

"We have an intruder in the building, I repeat we have an intruder in the building. Find and neutralize the target." The female voice from before spoke over the intercom.

"SHIT!" Ash shouted, he was close to getting out of there, but he was lost. Ash sprinted down the hallway and kicked open a door. "DAMMIT!" he was on the right floor, but there were too many doors. Ash sprinted back the way he came and took a left.

Ash kicked open another door, "Oh thank Go-" Ash was cut off by two voices.

"This way!"

"Head to the surface!"

Instead of running up the stairs Ash ran down one level and waited. Pikachu was shaking on his shoulder, and it wasn't helping calm his nerves. Ash heard footsteps overhead and waited as he heard a door open and close.

Ash sprinted back up the stairs as fast as he could, he stopped outside the door and quickly but silently opened it, and to his relief the room was empty and a door leading outside was open. Ash sprinted out the door and to the left, he ran around the building and to the back where his bike was.

Ash took Pikachu and dropped him into the sidecar along with the files he brought. Ash jumped onto the driver's seat and gave it a kick start before rocketing off.

They were a hundred meters away when they heard a shout, "Get him you two!"

Ash turned his gaze behind him and saw a large brown bird with a person in black riding on its back. "Pikachu Thunderbolt on that Fearow!" he shouted, as he picked up speed and headed for the canyon.

Pikachu nodded and turned to face his pursuers. "Pika-CHUUU!" Pikachu shouted as lighting arced from his cheeks and to the quickly approaching bird.

The Fearow dodged and came up beside the Motorbike. The person riding on top of the Fearow reached into his jacket, as soon as Ash saw that he leaned left toward the Fearow and drew his knife.

Ash drove underneath and slashed across the bird's chest. Blood spat from the wound and onto Ash and Pikachu as the Fearow flew off course and gained altitude to get away from the dangerous knife wielder.

"Pikachu get on my lap!" Ash shouted as he drove into the narrow canyon. Pikachu did as told and carefully jumped from the sidecar onto his lap. Ash drifted right and looked behind him, the Fearow was back on his trail; but this time the person on the back had a pistol gripped in his right hand.

Ash leaned over top of Pikachu to protect him from any incoming projectiles. Ash swerved around a corner and heard a loud crack, followed by a hiss go by his head. He looked back and saw the pursuers getting closer.

Ash slammed on the breaks and skidded to a halt as the Fearow and Trainer flew past them in surprise at the sudden stop. Ash gunned it and took off once again down the twisting canyon. Ash heard the gun go off multiple times and hisses go by his head.

'_Shit, we got to get out of here before he hits the gas tank!'_ he thought angrily. Ash furiously turned right and looked behind him; the Fearow turned the corner and started gaining on them.

"Pikachu get ready you're driving this thing!" Ash shouted as he kept one hand on the handle bars and the other reached down to his shoe. Pikachu looked at him like he was crazy, how could he possibly drive a motorcycle!

"Pi chu Pikapi!"

"Yes you can just hold the handlebars when I tell you to dammit!" Ash shouted as another bullet hissed by his head and hit the canyon wall in front of him. Pikachu nodded, but was scared shitless.

Ash banked left and pulled a smaller knife out of his shoe. They were going down a straight path that went on for five hundred meters. "GRAB THE HANDLE BARS PIKACHU!"

Pikachu did as told and with tremendous effort held the bike steady. Ash spun around in his seat and drew his arm back. The Fearow came into view but was still too far from Ash, a bullet whizzed by his head, but he ignored it. The Fearow was almost close enough,

"PIKAPI!" Pikachu shouted hoarsely, they were going to need to turn in a few seconds and there was no possible way for him to do that.

Ash ignored Pikachu and kept focus on his pursuers. _'Come on…'_ Ash thought, _'A few more meters and…'_ Ash brought the knife back and threw it through the air spinning towards the Fearow, in the same action he spun around and gripped the handle bars and slammed on the breaks leaning left. The duo drifted the corner and drove away.

The throwing knife took the Fearow in the throat and sent it crashing into the wall of the canyon and onto the ground choking on its own blood. It landed on top of its trainer, and awkwardly onto its neck, snapping it.

"You alright Pikachu?" Ash shouted, as he continued down the canyon. Pikachu didn't answer, which made Ash panic thinking that Pikachu had been hit by a bullet. Turning his gaze to the yellow Pokemon he was relieved that he wasn't hit, but could see he was in shock.

Ash slowed the bike and brought it to a stop. Ash took Pikachu into his arms and held him tightly. Pikachu didn't reciprocate; Pikachu stared ahead of him with tears streaming down his face. Ash rocked him gently as if he were a baby.

"It's okay buddy… It's okay, just take deep breaths we're safe now…" Ash cooed softly to the terrified Pokemon. Pikachu looked at Ash trembling and still coated with the blood of the Fearow. Ash stepped off the bike with Pikachu in his arms and went around to the side car.

Ash took out his bag and grabbed a water bottle and a towel. Very gently he began to clean the blood off of Pikachu. After a couple minutes he was clean and Ash replaced the water bottle and towel and took out the jacket he had been sent.

Ash wrapped Pikachu into the jacket and placed him gently into the side car. "Your safe buddy, try and sleep, we'll be get the others and leave Orre tonight…" Ash said softly stroking the little Pokemons fur. Pikachu didn't respond but shut his eyes tightly.

Ash got back onto the driver's seat and took off slower than before, after a couple minutes he picked up speed and drove off into the night towards the mineshaft.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The steel door slid apart and Ash stepped back into the Coliseum hall, quickly he walked over to the front desk and pressed a button. A buzzer went off and a second later the woman with burgundy hair stepped out from the back room.

"Hello are you here to pi-" She stopped as she stared at his arm, "Are you alright, do you need any help?"

Ash stared at her with a blank face, "What do you mean?"

"Your arm is bleeding, and it looks like it has for a while!" She exclaimed looking that the dark red strained arm. Ash turned his gaze from the nurse to his arm.

He was taken aback by what he saw; he rolled up his short sleeve and raised an eyebrow, "Didn't even notice…" He mumbled as he touched where the bullet had gone through. Ash looked up, "I'll be fine, but I need to cancel my match with the Master, important business came up and I won't have time for the match."

"Does the important business have to deal with that?" She asked pointing to the bullet wound. Ashs eyes darkened, and he repositioned the sleeping Pikachu in his arms.

"Possibly, now I'd like to have my Pokemon returned so I may leave." Ash stated emotionlessly. The nurse nodded, and went into the back. A minute later she reappeared with a tray with five Pokeballs on top. Ash took them and placed them onto his belt.

"Thanks, I'll see ya around." Ash stated as he turned back to the elevator. The nurse nodded and watched as Ash stepped into the elevator and the door closed. After a quick ride Ash and Pikachu made it to the surface and left the mineshaft and returned to the bike.

Ash took out his bag from under the seat and opened it. He took out thread, a needle, gauze, a water bottle, tweezers, and disinfectant. Ash sat Pikachu into the sidecar, and sat down on the driver's seat.

Ash grabbed the gauze and took two pieces. He wrapped them around both sides of the wound to halt the bleeding; he then took the tweezers and looked at the wound. He hadn't noticed he had been hit due to the adrenaline pumping through him for the past few hours, and because his thoughts were elsewhere. The bullet hadn't passed cleanly through but instead was still lodged in his arm.

Taking the tweezers he very gently pushed it into the wound and gritted his teeth. Ash pushed a little deeper until he felt resistance, carefully he pinched down on the object and slowly pulled it out. As it came out more blood began to spew from the wound.

Ash took a third gauze and wrapped it tightly around the bullet wound, _'I'll get Aly to look at it later…'_ Ash thought as he tied it off. He took off the other gauze and placed them back into the bag along with the other things he had taken out.

He quickly put everything back into the bag and placed the bag under the seat. Giving the bike a kick start, Ash began the long drive back to Port Gateon. After a couple hours the duo arrived back at the sea Port.

They drove through the streets and over to the dock yard. Ash drove up to a terminal and came to a halt. He scanned the list of available trips, _'A three day trip from here to Kanto then a one day trip to Johto… Nah… Oh! A two day trip from here to Olivine, that's perfect!'_ Ash thought as he selected purchase on the machine.

Ash took out his wallet and took out a credit card and inserted it into the machine. A minute later the transaction was complete and a ticket was produced from the machine. Placing the ticket into his wallet Ash drove over to a small café on the dock.

Ash parked the bike and picked up the sleeping Pikachu and walked over to the café. He ordered a cheeseburger, and a plate of fries with ketchup. Once he had their order he walked over to a table and sat down.

Very gently Ash woke up Pikachu, "Pikachu… Hey buddy, I got you something to eat…" He cooed softly. Pikachus eyes slowly opened and looked around nervously. Ash gently stroked Pikachus fur, "It's alright buddy, we're safe and we'll be leaving in an hour."

Pikachu slowly stood up on the table and stretched before hopping onto Ashs lap, "Pikapi chu ka pika pika chukka pi!" Pikachu whispered nervously. Ash nodded, and gave Pikachu a sad smile.

"I know… But if I hadn't done it then we'd both be dead. Things are different now Pikachu, since we're leaving Orre we're going to go meet up with Alyssa and then we start training in Johto or Kanto."

Pikachu took a fry and dipped it into the ketchup and took a bite before turning to Ash. "Chukapi chu pika pika pi chu Pikapi?" Pikachu asked cocking his head to the side.

"Well the files I took pictures of were from Cipher. But then I kept reading and it turns out that…" Ash sighed, "It turns out that Team Rocket is going to be using Shadow Pokemon to take over the League. So basically what Cipher had years ago has now been improved upon to some degree, which means that you have a decision to make Pikachu."

Pikachu stopped putting a fry in his mouth and looked at Ash skeptically, "Chu ka?" Ash sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Since the Shadow Pokemon program is better than before, you need to decide if you want to battle. The reports I read said they'd fight to the death and have been… Enhanced to show no mercy." Ash stated.

Pikachu looked at Ash unsure of what he was saying, "Pikapi, chukka pi pikachu?"

"Well I'm not putting you into danger if you don't want to battle. If you want to return to Pallet I understand, I just don't want to see you doing something you don't want to." Pikachu stared at Ash blankly; did he want to continue this? He saw the cages filled with Pokemon; he saw the knife take the Fearow in the throat. Did he want to live like this?

Pikachu looked into Ashs eyes, "Pi ka pika chu Pikapi?" Ash shook his head.

"I can't promise you that you'll be fine, but I can promise you that I will do everything within my power to keep you all safe. It's only one match, but it will not be like something you've done before," Ash took his burger and took a bite.

"Pi Pikachu Pikapi…" Pikachu slowly nodded as he thought over what he said. Ash eyed Pikachu carefully; Pikachu was one of the key assets that he would need during the League if he was to even stand a chance.

"Are you sure? Once were back in Kanto and Johto we _will_ be doing things like the lab back there. Except what we will be doing will be a lot tougher then back there," Ash stated seriously. What happened at the lab was just a smidge of what he went through the few months before hand.

Pikachu nodded and gave Ash a determined, not backing down smirk, "Pi Pikapi." Ash smiled down at his long-time friend.

"Thanks Pikachu, lets finish up here, the ship will be arriving in a few minutes,"

Pikachu nodded and the pair finished their meal and headed back to the bike as the ship came into Port.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[Three Days Later]**

"I should have thought this through better eh?" Ash asked as he wheeled the motorcycle through the shrubs of Ilex Forest.

Pika." Pikachu replied. Three days had passed and Ash, Pikachu, and Growlithe were very slowly travelling deep within Ilex forest to reach the cabin.

"Oh thank God!" Ash exclaimed exasperatedly, the trio had found their way onto the dirt path that led directly to the cabin. Ash switched the bike on and got onto the driver's seat, he had been wheeling the bike through the dense forest for the past ten hours and his muscles were like jelly.

Pikachu and Growlithe hopped into the side car and Ash slowly followed the trail up to the cabin. The first thing Ash noticed was that the front door was open, and that Alyssa was standing in the door frame dumbfounded.

Ash drove up to the front door and hopped off the bike, "What the hell is that?" Alyssa said blankly gesturing to the bike. Ash got off the bike and went to the sidecar where he picked up Pikachu, and Growlithe hopped out.

"I bought a toy, but Alyssa I'd like to introduce you to Pikachu, Pikachu this is Alyssa!" Ash introduced happily. Alyssa smiled when she saw the little electric type.

"Hello Pikachu, I've been dying to meet you. This big oaf has said nothing but good things about you," Alyssa greeted giving Pikachu a scratch behind the ear. Pikachu grinned and sighed contently at the soft touch.

Alyssa bent down and ruffled Growlithes head while looking up at Ash, "So what happened?" she asked seriously. Sierra 227 was a code they came up with in case of a major breakthrough and they needed to meet as soon as possible.

Ash shut off the bike and went into the side car and produced the files he had taken. "I'll tell you once we're inside," Ash said as Growlithe climbed the steps and entered the building. Ash and Alyssa sat down on the couch while Growlithe laid on the floor in front of the fireplace. Pikachu had taken a liking to Alyssa so he sat on her lap while Ash looked through the files.

"So about one week ago I arrived in Orre, I met up with Toby," Alyssa scoffed, but Ash ignored it. "And he told me that Cipher Agents had been seen down in The Under."

"The place where you were going to compete?" Ash nodded and handed her a file.

"After a few days we entered the Coliseum and my Pokemon were being taken care of when Pikachu and I went to go investigate where Cipher manufactured the _Shadow Pokemon."_ Ash waited as Alyssa read the documents he handed to her.

"I, I don't quite understand what you're showing me Ash…" Alyssa replied slowly as she took out another sheet.

"Remember when we first met up and formed the plan on how we were going to stop Team Rocket?" Ash asked, Alyssa nodded. "Remember we couldn't figure out what Giovanni was building?" She nodded. "Well here's the summery of it, Gio is planning on taking Ciphers old research on Shadow Pokemon and turning it up a couple notches,"

" So what exactly is he building…" She asked hesitantly, she learned about other criminal organizations during her time at the Orange Island Academy. And she knew of the Shadow Pokemon program fairly well.

"From my understanding the funds from the League are being used to create Shadow Pokemon that are… more, more ruthless then twenty years ago…" Ash repositioned himself as he took out his Pokegear.

Alyssa wasn't sure of what to make of that, "So Research and Development?" She asked.

"Yes, and Manufacturing and Testing. Giovanni has already gotten the…Prototype Pokemon developed, and he'll be using those in the League for insurance so that the Grunt doesn't lose. But after the League Giovanni plans on doing what Team Rocket was created to do. Take over the world, and he's going to do it with Shadow Pokemon. But sure we can put up a fight to stop him, but not if he manages to get control of what he created…" Ash trailed off as he stared into the flames of the fireplace.

"What did he create?" Alyssa asked nervously, Ash had found out a ton of information without even trying and he may look calm but she knew him better than that.

"The Shadow Pokemon Giovanni is producing could be classified as killing machines, or technically Suicide Bombers. I say Suicide Bomber because the Pokemon have no remorse about killing, they will do their job and get it done even if it kills it in the progress."

"And to answer your question he created Mewtwo, he failed as you know, but combining Mewtwos power with the strength of a Shadow Pokemon and there'd be no stopping it…" Ash shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"What if Mewtwo turned on Giovanni while in its Shadow state?"

Ash didn't answer immediately, "It can't, this is where Giovanni is unfortunately clever, the new Research and Development is being used to make Pokemon single minded. Don't ask me how but that's what's happening."

"Pikachu pi pika Pikapi?" Pikachu asked who had been listening the entire time wide eyed. Alyssa stroked Pikachus back to help calm him while Ash answered.

"Well buddy, imagine you not being able to think for yourself. You have one goal, and one goal only. Say I asked you to never drink ketchup again would you do it?" Ash asked.

Pikachu shook his head, "Chu!" Ash smiled and reached over and scratched under his chin.

"Good, but if you were single minded you would never drink ketchup until I told you to. And say I am the smartest most manipulative person on this world,"

"Which you're not," Alyssa giggled with Pikachu joining in on; Ash raised an eyebrow at them but continued.

"Well _if_ I was, it would be possible for me to manipulate your mind into doing my bidding, let it be baking me a cake or killing something." Pikachu stared in disbelief, coming over from the peaceful, sleepy town of Pallet, to being almost shot, and now they were discussing mind control? Life certainly is different, and he signed up for it…

"So Giovanni is going to use Shadow Pokemon to take over the Leagues, use the income to further his Research and Development, and Manufacturing. Then to top it all off he's going to take over the world by finding the only Mewtwo in existence and capture it to do his bidding no questions asked!" Alyssa exclaimed sinking deeper into the couch.

"Yeah basically…" Ash said nonchalantly. The trio drifted into silence at the info they had just learned. Ash perked up when he remembered something.

"Oh and Aly…" Alyssa was deep in thought but acknowledged him.

"Hmm, yeah Ash?"

"Team Rocket knew I was in Orre…"

* * *

><p><strong>BOOM CLIFFHANGER BIT***! Can't believe I ended it there… Shi* just got real… Well getting serious, not a very long chapter, but I got a lot covered and all. Now to delve into the info of this chapter.<strong>

**Yes Shadow Pokemon, you guys might think I took the easy way out by doing something simple like killer Pokemon and all. But I think it is going to be for the best. I have techniques for Ashs battling style that will help with the Pokemon League and such.**

**Mewtwo. What do you want me to say, sorry? Look I used Mewtwo because he's the beast that Giovanni created, and I doubt that after years of just ditching the Mewtwo story arc in the Anime he would just forget about it. And no Ash doesn't catch a legendary. I'm keeping this realistic.**

**And I know I could have done more coliseum battles at the beginning but I dunno, I'm not the best at writing battles so I kept it short and sweet. I don't think it impacted the story to much…**

**There is minor foreshadowing in this chapter, not a lot but it may have to deal with next chapter or the one after.**

**Now three or so Chapters left. I'm starting the League next Chapter and it will go on for maybe three chapters but maybe two.**

_**Now the one question I have is did you like the length of this and the last chapter? Both were shorter This chapter was 6500K Words. Or do you like the longer chapters that were around 10K+ Words? That'll be an important factor for how many chapters are left.**_

_**Now Thanks again everyone please READ and REVIEW and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And with that...**_

_**ThatOneDwarf Signing Out!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Well sup guys? Good, good to here. Well anyways I have a _VERY_ important question at the end of this chapter to ask you all. I wont go into detail until the end but for now Please enjoy the Chapter!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>[Three Months Later]<strong>

"Take a left and the League Village should be around the corner!" Alyssa shouted above the roar of the motorcycle. Ash nodded to his two companions who were riding in the sidecar next to him. The travelling trio had spent the past two months training and causing hell for Team Rocket, but now their objective lay ahead of them. The Indigo League.

"Pikachu you're going to stay with Alyssa during the Conference alright? I can't be seen with you on my shoulder until our match, so you'll be watching alongside her. Where ever that may be okay?" Ash asked as he slowed the bike outside of a large circular building and came to a stop.

Pikachu who had ridden on Alyssa's lap during the drive from Viridian to the Indigo Plateau nodded and hopped out of Alyssa's lap and onto her shoulder, "Pi Pikapi!" Pikachu replied happily giving a mock salute.

Ash smiled and got off the bike, with his two friends following his lead, "First stop we need to register for this thing," Ash mumbled as he went around to the sidecar and took his bag out from under the seat. He undid the zipper and reached in pulling out his badge case. Redoing his bag he replaced it under the seat and held up his badge case, "Let's go," he stated pulling his hood over his head.

The trio left the bike and walked over to the entrance of the circular building, pushing open the twin glass doors Ash got a sense of déjà vu. The room was large and luckily for Ash empty. Around the room were scattered circular reception desks with a monitor located in each.

Ash and company walked over to the closet desk where a young woman with brown hair, and blue eyes smiled in greeting. "Hello, I take it you're here to enter the League?" She asked politely. A smile was seen underneath the shadow of Ashs hood.

"Yes please," Ash said placing his badges onto the counter and taking his Pokedex out from his pocket and into his hand. The receptionist opened the badge case and scanned each badge individually.

A ding sounded as the eighth badge was scanned and a green light came onto the screen behind her. "Alright, now if I may see your Pokedex for identification, we can get you all set for tomorrow," She grinned.

Ash leaned slightly over the counter and spoke quietly. "I need to make a request," he spoke quietly but seriously. The receptionist leaned forward so she could hear clearer.

"And what may that be?" She asked curiously.

"I need to not go under the name that the Pokedex," Ash put the Pokedex onto the counter as he said it, "quite yet." She raised an eyebrow at him, but nodded.

"The rules of the League are that you may go under any name until the Top 16 where all Pokemon battles become 6 on 6. Once there your name and the town you are from will be used until the end of the tournament." She replied.

Ash nodded thoughtfully, "Alright, but the name you see come up you _cannot _repeat to a single person okay?" He asked seriously. The receptionist eyed Ash carefully, it was her first year working the registration counter and so far this is was the strangest competitor to come through.

"Sure… Can I ask why?" She asked curiously. Ash nodded and motioned to the Pokedex.

"Your answer is right there."

The receptionist took his Pokedex and slid it into a slot on the counter. She turned around to the screen behind her and gasped raising a hand to her mouth at the name and picture above. She turned around wide eyed looking at Ash in shock, "You-You're supposed to be…" She shook her head stammering not believing this for a second.

"Dead? No not yet. But if you let anyone know I'm here until the Top 16 then I will be. This has to be kept under wraps okay?" He asked quietly, as his Pokedex ejected from the slot in the counter. She nodded still wide eyed.

"What, what name are _er_ do you want to use for the preliminaries?" she asked shaking her head as she went over to a computer.

"Shay, just Shay" Ash said turning to his two companions who had been observing quietly. He turned back to the girl as another thought crossed his mind. "Oh, can I swap the picture that is used on the score board with this?" He asked pulling out a picture from his back pocket. The picture had Ash with his bleach blond hair and a white baseball cap concealing his eyes in the shadows.

" And could we get a room for three in the village," He added on as he handed the picture to the receptionist. She nodded.

"Sure. Sure to both of those," She said as she reached under the desk and took out two keys, Ash took both and handed one to Alyssa. "Now all we need to do Shay…" She trailed off to make sure she got his persona right, he nodded, "Is set up your first match for tomorrow." She pressed a red button that was next to the slot where the Pokedex was entered, and the screen that previously had Ashs picture and name changed into four cut off areas.

The screen was divided into four squares; each square had either a picture of a rock, leaf, raindrop, or snowflake in it. The rock square lit up and began going clock wise around the four, Ash repressed the button and the light slowed down until it stopped on the Leaf symbol.

"You're first match will be on the Grass field over in Stadium B," The receptionist announced. She then typed in something into the computer and the screen switched back to the picture of Ash, and now a picture of a boy with blue hair, and the eyes to match.

"This will be your opponent tomorrow at 10AM tomorrow morning." Ash nodded and thanked the woman for her help. She then added, "Oh, and it's great to see you back… However you managed to do it…" She smiled still shocked by his appearance.

Ash turned back around and gave her a wave, "Thanks, and remember don't say a word." He called back, she nodded and he turned to Alyssa, "I don't think she's going to say anything," Ash pushed and held the door open for her as they stepped back out into the crowded streets of the Pokemon Village, "So should we head to our lodge then get ready? I have to be at the opening ceremony in an hour so…"

Alyssa looked down at Pikachu, as they made their way over to the bike, "Sounds good, Pikachu and I have to go get our equipment anyway. So while you head over to the Ceremony we'll take the bike grab our stuff and be back at the cabin when you return okay?" She suggested stepping into the side car and placing Pikachu into her lap.

"Sounds good, but once we get settled I got to head over to the center and get my team for tomorrow. And if you get back early you two may want to scout around where you'll be watching for each of the matches?" Ash started up the bike and began to drive off towards where the cabins were located for the Trainers that competed.

"If we have time, you know I'm not a fan of pink so I'm going to have to get a new set of clothes while we're gone!" She shouted over the engine. Alyssa was currently wearing a pink beanie over her long blond hair, a pink tank top, and blue skinny jeans with white and pink sneakers.

Ash chuckled and looked at his companion, "You look great as you are, but green is definitely more your color!"

Alyssa turned away from Ash as her face became slightly red. Whenever Ash complimented her, she couldn't help but blush. Usually he did it without trying, but when he did it on purpose like he just did she felt Butterfrees in her stomach. Her thoughts of Ash were neutralized when she locked eyes with a girl they drove passed. Quickly turning away from her she looked at Ash.

"We may have a problem Ash…" She wasn't sure, but from the pictures she had seen it looked like her. Ash didn't answer, but instead drove up a hill and slowed down in front of a log cabin. He shut off the bike and turned to Alyssa.

"Well this is where we're going to be staying for the competition, now what were you saying about a problem?" He asked curiously as he offered his hand to help her and Pikachu out of the side car. Pikachu hopped onto Alyssa's shoulder as she took Ashs hand and climbed out of the side car. Once they were out Ash reached into the sidecar and took out his bag and shrugged it onto his shoulders, before moving to unlock the door.

"I can't be sure because I haven't seen them before, but I think I saw-" She was cut off by another voice.

"Ash!" Two female voices shouted, Ash stopped opening the door to the cabin and froze.

'_This is not happening. They cannot be here…' _He thought wide eyed turning around to see if it was indeed,

"Misty…Mom?" He nearly shouted in disbelief! Misty and Delia came running up the hill to the cabin grinning. Ash did not have the same look on his face.

The two females went to take Ash into a hug, but he stopped them by taking a step back, Misty was puzzled by his reaction, "What's wrong Ash, aren't you happy to see us?" She asked somewhat hurt.

Ash mentally cursed himself, he turned to Alyssa before acknowledging his mother and girlfriend, "Alyssa, can you do a quick background check on my opponent while I talk with these two?" He asked kindly. Alyssa nodded, sighing as she and Pikachu stepped into the cabin and out of sight.

He then turned back to the other two who were watching, he let out a big sigh before speaking. "Both of you inside right now, I'll be in there in a minute after I park the bike…" He trailed off as he took the bike by the handles and began wheeling it around behind the cabin.

Misty turned to Delia, "I don't think he's too happy to see us…" She trailed off uneasily, she had seen Ash driving what appeared to be some sort of bike with the girl who was apparently Alyssa and took off with Delia right behind her to catch up.

She nodded, "I think your right, but we should go introduce ourselves to his friend," She replied cheerfully walking over to the front door and stepping inside, with Misty right behind her.

The cabin was well furnished, but not overly extravagant. The room they were in was square with two couches in the center of the room that were around a rectangular wooden table, on the wall in front of the couches was a 42 television. To the left of the couches were four doors, one that was open leading to a bedroom, another which led to a kitchen, and the other two led to bedrooms.

Delia stepped inside and went over to the open door in the room and peaked inside, sitting at the desk in the room was Pikachu and Alyssa who was using her laptop to look over a Trainers profile. "Knock knock," Delia smiled happily as she entered the bedroom.

Alyssa turned around and smiled at the two girls, getting up from her seat. "Hello Mrs. Ketchum it's lovely to meet you, Ash has told me so much about you," Alyssa greeted politely extending her hand. Delia smiled warmly back and took her soft hand gently.

"It's wonderful to meet you to Alyssa; Ash had spoken very highly of you when he came home,"

Alyssa blushed as she said that. Pikachu hopped off the desk and into Delias arms, "Chukapi!" Pikachu squealed happily snuggling close to her.

"And it's good to see you to Pikachu, have you been taking care of Ash like I asked?" She asked half seriously, half kindly. Pikachu hesitantly looked from Delia to Alyssa for some sort of reply.

"Don't worry Mrs. Ketchum; Ash has stayed out of trouble for about a month now, which is almost a record for him!" Alyssa answered sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, which did not go unnoticed by the older woman.

Giggling, Delia smiled at Alyssa, "Did you pick that up from Ash?" she asked raising an eyebrow at her.

She got the same result; Alyssa rubbed the back of her head and answered, "Yeah, after being around him for so long some of his traits begin to wear off on you…" Delia giggled once again, before turning behind her.

"Misty dear, come over here." Delia stepped aside so Misty could get through the door. Alyssa held out her hand to the red head.

"It's a pleasure Misty, Ash has told me so much about you, I can't wait to get to know you both more," Alyssa smiled warmly at Misty.

Misty smiled back and took the offered hand, "It's great to meet you Alyssa, I have to thank you for keeping Ash going when he was…" She trailed off uneasily not sure of what to say. Alyssa quickly stepped in to save her.

"Don't even mention it, he helped me through it more then I help him so." She said dismissing the conversation. Misty opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the door opening and closing shut.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash stepped into the cabin and closed the door behind him, he shrugged his backpack off and placed it next to the door, followed by him undoing his black hoodie and tossing it onto the couch. Opening his bag he took out his water bottle and had a quick drink before replacing it. Misty and Delia hesitantly stepped back into the room where Ash now stood waiting for them.

He motioned for them to take a seat, which they obliged. He was about to say something when Alyssa stepped out of the bedroom, "I got the information on him, so Pikachu and I will head out and grab our supplies and be back in an hour or two alright?"

Ash nodded, "Alright I'll see you in a bit, and have you guys introduced yourself?" He asked curiously. She nodded, "Okay can you leave the laptop in the room and I'll get to it in a few minutes?"

"Sure thing,"

"Thanks Aly," he said as she went over to the front door of the cabin.

"Alright see you in a bit, let's go Pikachu!" She opened her arms and Pikachu leapt out of Delia's arms and scampered over to Alyssa and hopped into hers. Pikachu waved goodbye as the pair left the cabin.

Ash turned his gaze from the door to the two girls in front of him, "Okay, what are you two doing here?" He asked seriously, he didn't want any unneeded info, he just wanted the truth.

"We wanted to come chee-" Ash cut his mother off politely by raising his hand.

"You came here… To cheer me on?"

They nodded. "Well you're not, the next few days you cannot acknowledge me, Alyssa or Pikachu."

"Why can't we be here to cheer you on? We want to congratulate once you won the League, and defeat the Rocket!" Misty said angrily, she didn't particularly like the tone Ash had right now and wanted him to cut it out.

Ash shook his head in amusement and ran a hand through his black hair, "Here's how this is going to go down," his tone was dead serious like the one he had used when they told him about the party, "You can stay at the League, and even come to my matches if you like but you _will_ _not_ cheer for me, _will_ _not_ come find me to congratulate me on a win. You _will_ go to other matches, and not just my own, and you _will not_ come back to this cabin until everything is over alright?" He asked making sure they understood perfectly clear.

"Why ca-" Ash cut Misty off before she could even begin.

"Because, Team Rocket is here, at the League. They want me dead, they most likely already know I'm here, and the fact that is, if they see you at all of my matches that confirms it's me and I'll be dead in seconds okay? Alyssa and I have spent months preparing for this, everything has to go smoothly or Team Rocket wins, and that cannot happen. We found out a lot more about what they are planning since I visited you three months ago Mist, I won't tell you what it's about but trust me this is not something you can deal with." Ash took a deep breath and sat down on the couch opposite the two girls.

He didn't say anything, he just stared at them until one of them asked a question, Delia was the first to speak up, "Honey why can't we go cheer you on?" She asked uneasily.

"Mom I want you to think about something," Ash began running a hand through his hair. "For the past few years Team Rocket has kept a keen eye on all of you. Now let me ask you something, what would they think if two close people to me both happen to show up at the League, and start cheering for an unknown competitor?"

Delia opened her mouth to reply, but shut it when she lowered her gaze and moved uneasily on the couch.

"It would lead to suspicion towards the competitors, who are competing. In this case you, right?" Misty asked downheartedly. Ash nodded, and sighed.

"Look, I know you both came here with good intentions but for the next week things are going to be hectic for Alyssa and I. We won't really be able to talk at all, I'm going to be going to be competing, and when I'm not I'm going to be checking the standings to find out who the Rocket is. And Alyssa is… Going to be giving me over watch while I battle, so we won't be around much."

"What about at night?" Misty asked curiously, Ash kicked his feet up onto the table and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Where are you two staying?" Ash asked. Delia and Misty gave each other nervous glances, before Delia spoke up.

"Well Honey… We uh were hoping we could stay with you, the hotels were full so we thought if we could find you before you register we could stay with you…" Delia said hesitantly. Ash cursed under his breath, everything had been fine but now he had to let them stay. He couldn't just kick his mother and girlfriend out onto the streets.

Groaning Ash placed his head into his hands, " I…" He paused as he thought were to begin. "Look I'm not going to make you guys sleep outside, but you _will_ follow my instructions okay?" He asked seriously. The two girls nodded, " You both are lucky that I asked for a three room lodge, I was going to use one to store our stuff, but you two and Aly will be taking the rooms and I guess I'll have to take the couch…" Ash scowled, he wasn't going to act like he was happy about all this, because he was frankly pissed.

"No Ash I wi-" Ash cut Misty of by raising his hand.

"You will take the rooms no questions asked okay, my rules or you're on the street. And for the other rules you two will be back at this lodge by 8 for the preliminaries okay. For the top 32 to the finals, you can stay out until 10." Ash spoke to them as if they were children, his tone wasn't very kind, but the turn of events took him out of his good mood.

"Okay honey, we'll be back by those times." Delia confirmed truthfully, Ash nodded and got up from the couch and unlocked a window in the room. Once open he reached to his belt and unclipped a Pokeball. The sphere burst open and materialized from the red light was his Growlithe.

Ash bent down and gave Growlithe a scratch under the chin, looking to the two girls he got up and headed for the front door, taking his hoodie and slipping it on. "Growlithe and I are heading to the opening Ceremony, afterwards I'm getting my team for tomorrow and then I'll be back."

"Okay we'll go onc-" Ash interjected once again cutting the red head off.

"No, you two will stay here, you can watch on the television" He pointed to the TV on the wall, "There is no need for you two to come, and besides you're going to explain to Aly that you're staying." Ash finished firmly opening the door with Growlithe at his heel.

"But-"

"No buts, my rules and you will follow them." Ash said dead seriously before closing the door behind him and the Fire Type.

Misty glared at the door, "I think we made a mistake coming, he certainly isn't thrilled about us being here…"

Delia nodded, "Yeah, but we can't do anything about that now. How about I go make us something to eat?" She suggested getting up from the couch and moving to the kitchen.

"Alright…" Misty agreed hesitantly.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[One Hour Later]**

Delia and Misty sat on the couch in the living room of the lodge watching the opening Ceremony of the Pokemon League.

"Do you see Ash?" Misty asked curiously, as she took a sip of hot chocolate.

Delia shook her head, "No, I don't thin- Oh there he is, behind the blond girl to the left!" She exclaimed pointing at the screen.

Misty squinted at the screen, "Are you sure? The hoods up and you can't see who it is?" She replied uncertainly.

Delia nodded, "That's how I know it's him, he's hiding remember so he keeps his hood up to conceal his identity!" Misty had a look of realization dawn on her as she saw the truth in what the older woman had said.

They sat in silence watching until the door to the lodge opened, in walked Alyssa with Pikachu happily sitting in her arms and a long case, and backpack slung over her back.

"Hey what are you two still doing here?" Alyssa asked confusedly at the two girls sitting on the couch. Delia smiled and answered.

"Well, Ash invited us to stay here with you two as long as we follow your rules," Alyssa gaped; she did not expect Ash to go and do something like that.

"He invited you?" She asked making sure she heard right, Delia nodded. Flabbergasted, Alyssa nodded unsurely and went over to the bedroom she had the laptop in. Pikachu hopped out of her arms and onto the desk as Alyssa shrugged the long case, and backpack off her back and leaned them against the wall.

Pikachu hopped off the desk and scampered out of the room and onto the couch as Alyssa stepped out of the room and went around to the couch and sat down. The trio of females sat in silence until Misty spoke up, "Umm Alyssa?" She asked somewhat uncertainly. Alyssa turned her gaze from the screen to the redhead.

"Yeah Misty?" she replied, she figured that a couple questions would be asked since this was their first meeting.

"Ash told us that he found out some more info about what Team Rocket is planning; could you tell us what it was?" She asked curiously. Alyssa pursed her lips; Ash hadn't told them which was enough for her to know not to say anything.

"Sorry Misty, I better leave that up to Ash if he decides to tell you or not…" Misty nodded her understanding and posed another question.

"Umm, before when we first met a while ago, you said Ash saved you more then you saved him…" She trailed off seeing if she was going somewhere that she shouldn't.

Alyssa eyed her carefully, "Yeah…" she replied hesitantly, she wasn't sure where this was going, but she was going to kill Ash for making this awkward for her. She didn't know what she could tell Misty and his mother but she wanted to make sure she didn't go to deep into what happened at the Academy or once he escaped.

"What exactly did you mean by that? He told us about how you met and that fighting competition, but other than that he had only said a little bit else about his time at the Team Rocket Academy… Could you tell us more about what happened there?"

Alyssa looked around uneasily… A lot happened at the Academy, and afterwards… She had a faint idea of what she could say but, bringing one thing up could lead to questions she couldn't answer.

"Umm… What do you two want to know…? I can't answer everything for you, but I'm sure a few things will be alright…" Alyssa repositioned herself so she sat cross legged on the couch and facing the two girls.

Delia cleared her throat to get Alyssa's attention, "Yes Mrs. Ketchum?" She asked politely. Delia smiled and took that as a sign to continue.

"Umm dear," she began politely

'_Dear?'_ Alyssa thought warmly.

"I was wondering, when Ash told us about the two of you spending time together at that Rocket place, he said that he would die to save you if he had to," Alyssa felt her cheeks go warm, which she cursed herself mentally for because Ashs girlfriend was sitting right across from her.

Misty noticed the slight blush, but ignored it for now as Delia continued. "He said that you kept him going and stopped him from doing anything he'd regret… If you could, could you tell us what he meant by that?" She asked softly. Alyssa felt uncomfortable; she looked to the ground as she thought if she should answer.

"I, I supposed I could answer that… I just don't think Ash would be too happy if I did tho…" she replied uneasily, Delia had a look of worry come across her face.

"How bad did he get?" She asked just above a whisper.

Alyssa cringed, she didn't want to go into this but she could tell Ashs mom was almost as stubborn as he was.

"I… How, how much do you want to know?"

"Can you please tell us anything about what happened there? It doesn't have to be on that subject, but Ash only told about what the important events that happened. Could you tell us about anything that he would have left out on purpose?"

Alyssa could think of a few different things, but some of those were more personal to her then to Ash. There was one thing tho, it would lead to a question that she wouldn't answer but Ash would hopefully be back by then and save her from being pressured.

"I, I can tell you about when he almost… When he fully gained my trust, and I gained his…" She winced as she said it, she wasn't sure if they were going to want to hear it but it would answer one of their questions.

Misty thought about it curiously, Ash had said they told each other the truth no matter what it was. So whatever made Alyssa trust Ash completely must have been big? She slowly nodded.

Alyssa took that as a sign of continuing. "Well, a few months after we met, Ash and I were pretty good friends. There were times when we couldn't answer each other's questions but we understood that." She sighed as she got herself more comfortable.

"I guess you could say that he earned more than just trust from me on this," She shook her head as she felt her cheeks warm slightly and she got off topic. "After the fight in the cafeteria and we became friends, Ash wasn't picked on as much as before. He still got into fights, but since he was a great fighter they stopped instigating him and moved onto me so they wouldn't wind up in the infirmary but could still get to him…" She informed calmly.

Delia and Misty instantly could see she was setting aside her emotions like Ash for when she began.

"And well like I said a couple months after we became friends they started going after me to get at Ash. And then one day I was heading to one of the training rooms where Ash was allowed to practice with knives, and well some Rockets thought it would be a good time to go after me since Ash had beat up one of them the week before…"

**[Flashback]**

Alyssa walked through one of the crowded hallways of the Rocket Academy. She had just finished her Pokemon Training and was now going to find Ash so he could give her another lesson on how to defend herself. The past few months after she met Ash had been rough on the both of them. She had become a prime target for Grunts to get on Ashs nerves.

A week after they met, Ash had begun to teach her how to defend herself if the situation called for it. Unfortunately for them, two weeks after Ash had fought Chris, Chris and a few of other Rockets had found her and gave her a beating saying _'You had this coming, expect this a lot more now that your pals with Ketchum.'_

She had been bruised and suffered a dislocated shoulder, and when Ash saw what happened to her, he was quite angry. She had told him that she was okay, but he wouldn't have it. He had brought her to the infirmary right away then stormed out of there with a dangerous glare.

Long story short Chris got it worse than he had before, Ash had broken his jaw, and had re-broken his healing nose. Ash had dragged him through the Academy and to the infirmary to show her what he was going to teach her to do. And she was well on her way there; she could almost handle one Grunt if it came down to it. But that rarely happened.

So here she was two months later on her way for her next lesson. Alyssa took a left and continued down the hall. She could hear mutters of her name along with Ashs as she passed groups of Rockets. She and Ash had become good friends, she liked Ash, he had a good personality, he was kind, funny, had some of the weirdest stories, a cheerful guy, and just an all-round good person. She was glad she made the decision to stick with him then go to the other Rockets.

She knew what hanging out with Rockets could be like from her time at the Orange Island Academy. It wasn't very fun, most Grunts were vulgar, rude, arrogant, cocky, selfish, and most of the guys at one point had tried to take advantage of her.

Ash hadn't been any of those things, but what surprised her the most was that on the outside he seemed so calm and emotionless, but on the inside he was an emotional wreck. From what he had told her about before he was forced to join the Academy he was an always cheery guy, but the Ash she knew was still a happy guy, but when overly stressed or after he had taken a serious beating things got very rough for him.

She was actually glad that he shared his emotions with her, good or bad it didn't matter. She didn't know everything he was going through, but she knew what a rough life was like.

She sighed as she pushed open a door and continued walking down another hallway. She saw the door where Ash was training at the end of the hall; the doors were painted black and had a red R painted across the center. She was halfway there when someone called out to her.

"Hey babe where ya goin?" A sickeningly sweet voice shouted from behind her. Alyssa scowled as she turned around to see who it was. She clenched her fists tightly as she saw standing at the other end of the hall. A light blue haired Grunt with a black eye around 17 years old stood with a smirk plastered on his face and his arms crossed glaring at her.

"What the hell do you want, another black eye?" she growled threateningly. The Grunt barked out a laugh.

"Ketchum ain't here to save you this time," he stated a dangerous smile coming across his face.

Alyssa scoffed, "I can take you on myself, I don't need his help to take you down!" She sneered. The Grunts smile grew.

"Maybe that's true," he jerked his head slightly to the right before continuing; "You can take me on but what about them?" He asked coldly.

Alyssa was puzzled, "What are yo- What the!" She was interrupted by two pairs of hands grabbing her roughly by her arms and shoulders lifting her off the ground. She furiously struggled against her to captives holds, "LET GO OF ME YOU FREAKS!" She shouted angrily as she was carried forcefully over to the smiling Grunt.

As soon as she was in range of the Grunt she kicked out in hopes of landing a low blow, unfortunately he saw it coming and grabbed her leg and twisted it painfully. Alyssa bit her lip to not cry out as pain shot up her leg. "Try that again and I'll break it," He said coldly.

With that he drew his right hand back into a fist threw a hard right into Alyssa's gut. Alyssa gasped in pain as the wind was knocked out of her. Before she could recover he began throwing hard rights and lefts into Alyssa's face.

Her lip was cut and her nose was bleeding badly, she felt like she was going to pass out when the beating stopped. The Grunt eyed Alyssa thoughtfully, "Not so tough now are ya?" He asked coldly as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a switchblade.

"We're gonna have some fun now aren't we?" He asked as he raised his hand to Alyssa's bruised face and caressed it gently. He gripped her by the shirt and pulled her closer to him and kissed her hard on the lips.

Alyssa couldn't do a thing about it, she was tired, in pain, bleeding, and restricted by the two Grunts holding her. She tried to struggle away, but it wasn't helpful, the Grunt let go of her shirt and pulled out of the kiss, and delivered another blow to the cheek.

He spat onto the tiled floor smirking, "Taste pretty good babe, to bad I got to send a message to your boyfriend," He shrugged and flipped open the switchblade, he brought the blade up to her cheek and applied gentle pressure drawing a little blood.

"Don't worry, I'm just gonna give you a new beauty mar-UGH!" He was cut off as a heavy force knocked him off his feet and onto his back. "What th-AGH!" He cried as a powerful fist drove into his jaw.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Where is she, she should have been here ten minutes ago…" Ash muttered as he walked aimlessly around the training room. He had been waiting for Alyssa so they could start there training but she hadn't shown up and he was beginning to get impatient. He sighed, "Might as well go look for her…"

Ash took off the white tank top he had been wearing and put on the regulation Team Rocket shirt. Sighing he walked over to the door of the training room and pushed it open, he froze at what he saw. At the end of the hallway two Grunts were holding a limp Alyssa while a third which Ash recognized instantly pulled out of a kiss and stroked her cheek.

Fury built up in Ash as he saw that, he sprinted down the hall not making a sound and over to the Grunt, who was now holding a knife to Alyssas face. Ash a meter away from the Grunt tackled him to the ground. He heard the Grunt shout in surprise but cut him off with a hard blow to the jaw.

Ash was hell bent on breaking every bone in the Grunts body, he had thrown five solid punches into the Grunts nose and jaw breaking both effortlessly. He was about to throw another when he was pulled off the Grunt and hit in the gut by one of the two Grunts who had held Alyssa. Winded Ash ducked and incoming blow and kicked the Rockets kneecap shattering it making him cry out in pain. Ash went to turn to the other Grunt who had held Alyssa but was too late.

Ash spun around and was hit square in the nose by a hard right hook. Ash staggered against the wall of the hallway, but bounced back. Nose gushing blood, Ash stepped forward to the Grunt and threw a hard right into his stomach winding him. He was about to throw a punch to the temple when he heard Alyssa call weakly to him.

"Behind you…" She called out painfully she was in a heap on the ground laying painfully as she watched Ash fight for her. Ash turned his gaze to Alyssa as she spoke, that would prove costly. Ash gasped as he felt a searing pain course through his back as something sharp cut across it.

What happened next went in slow motion for Alyssa.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Behind you…" Alyssa called as loud as possible, the Grunt who beat her came up behind Ash and brought the switchblade hard across his back, Alyssa gasped as the Grunt then gripped Ash with one arm around the neck, and drove the blade deep into his back.

Alyssa paled as she saw the Grunt let go of Ashs limp body and the bloodstained knife came out of his back. The Grunt flipped Ash over and got down over top of him and continually punched Ash as hard as he could in the face.

Alyssa was terrified as she saw the ground around Ash begin to form a puddle of blood from his wounds, "Ash!" she called out, but didn't get an answer. The Grunt got off of Ash after he finished and motioned for the other Rocket who did not have the shattered knee.

"Get him out of here, these two are finished," then with a smirk he added, "Specially her Majesty here, he'll be lucky if he makes it through the night!" He let out a short bark of laughter as Alyssa painfully crawled over to Ash.

She painfully moved over to Ash and gasped, as tears came down her bloody and bruised cheeks. Ash was cut, bruised, and unconscious losing blood fast. He wasn't conscious and it was all her fault, he stopped the Rocket from scarring her more than she was, he had taken the beating for her but she wasn't worth it. He could possibly die from his wounds and it would be her fault.

"HELP!" She cried hoarsely as she held Ashs face gently, the hallway was crowded with Grunts who stared at the scene intently.

"Ash please don't die on me please don't!" She sobbed into his chest; she was too weak to get him from where they were to the infirmary which was on the other side of the Academy.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" A female voice shouted as three people sprinted down the hall towards them. Alyssa looked up from Ash to the brown haired woman who came up to them.

"Sue Ash he, he-" She choked back as more tears sprung from her eyes. Sue motioned for the two nurses who came with her to load Ash onto the stretcher.

The two nurses carefully laid Ash onto the stretcher and got up and ran down the hall and around the corner. Sue put her arms around Alyssa gently since she was in shock, "What the hell happened, we got to get you checked out, and how was he bleeding so much?" Sue asked as she slipped an arm around Alyssa and helped her to her feet.

"I, I was grabbed and they, he came and stopped him from cutting me, and and!" Alyssa was hysterical, she was shaking uncontrollably as she and Sue hurried to the infirmary. Arriving at the infirmary Alyssa gasped. On one of the beds Ash was laid out without his shirt on, he was on his stomach unmoving as the nurses hooked him up to bags of liquid and machines.

Sue sat Alyssa down on one of the beds, and quickly went to the nurses. "How bad are the wounds?" She asked worriedly.

"He has major blood loss, and the stab wound is deep but luckily the knife didn't pass through his ribs stopping it from hitting any major arteries. We need to get him into surgery before he bleeds out and the tissue damage becomes irreparable." One of the nurses said urgently as he and the other female nurse began to wheel Ash away through a pair of twin doors.

"You take care of the girl!" Sue ordered another nurse in the room. Sue left Alyssa and headed through the door the nurses had taken Ash through, as the fourth nurse came over to her and began checking the damage Alyssa had taken.

**[Pause Flashback]**

Alyssa was staring blankly ahead of her as she remembered the events that had taken place, Misty and Delia stared at her in shock.

"My, my poor baby…" Delia whispered with tears in her eyes, she couldn't believe he had been stabbed and had to go into surgery. She felt awful for Alyssa, to see and have to go through that would have been terrifying.

Misty had tears in her eyes and Alyssa progressed through the story, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Ash and especially Alyssa having to be beaten like that, and not to mention watching Ash being so close to death. "What, what happened next?" Misty whispered, she knew Ash survived or else they wouldn't be here that moment but she wanted to know how it all turned out.

Alyssa took in a shaky breath and continued.

**[Continue Flashback]**

Three hours passed and Alyssa was sitting on the same bed she had when she arrived in the infirmary, the nurse had cleaned the blood from her face, and sewn up one of the larger cuts on her cheek while Ash was in surgery.

Alyssa was still shaking with her arms wrapped around herself as she continued to blame herself for this happening to Ash. "Please don't die Ash please don't die," her already red swollen eyes welled up with tears and began streaming down her tear stained cheeks at the thought of losing her only friend.

Alyssa released her hold from around herself and took a tissue before blowing her nose, she tossed it into the half full garbage can and looked to the door hoping Sue would come out. _'It shouldn't take this long, something happened, he, he, he….'_ Alyssa was close to having a panic attack she had to know if Ash was alright.

She placed her head in her hands and tried to calm her shaking, she knew Ash would want her to stay strong but it was nearly impossible knowing that he was on the brink of death. Her head snapped up as she heard the doors to the emergency room open.

Sue came out wearing bloody plastic white gloves and a hygiene mask. She stopped at a garbage can and took off the gloves and tossed them in followed by the mask. She walked over to a sink and washed her hands before coming over to Alyssa.

Alyssa watched as Sue came over to her, "Is, is he… did he…" Alyssa trailed off shaking her head scared to find out the outcome.

Sue sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "When we got him ready for surgery he had lost a lot of blood, we stopped the bleeding from the cut across his back but the stab wound was the main problem. Before we started to repair the muscle in his back, he went into cardiac arrest,"

Alyssa covered her mouth and paled, "Oh god no… no, no…" She trembled as she knew what Sue was saying. Tears poured from her eyes, and she began to cry uncontrollably until she felt Sue take her gently by the shoulders.

She looked into her eyes as she continued, "We brought out the defibrillator and we got his heart back to normal," She reassured Alyssa with a smile.

"Oh thank God, oh thank God, I, I, I" She was hyperventilating, she thought Sue had told her that Ash had died, but he was alright, he was alright…

"C-Can I see him?" She hiccuped. Sue nodded and helped the scared girl to her feet, they walked through the doors Sue had come out of and down a short hall where they took a left into a small room with a chair, and a bed that has Ash lying on top of with tubes running from his arms to machines and bags on that hung from the ceiling.

Alyssa carefully walked over to Ash, she sat down into the chair and took his hand into hers, "I-I'm so sorry Ash, I'm so sorry…" she whispered as tears welled up into her eyes.

"He won't be waking up for another few hours, we knocked him out cold while we worked on him, maybe you should come get something to eat" Sue suggested softly.

"I'm going to stay here with him; I'm not really hungry…" Alyssa whispered as she looked at the bruised, cut and torn boy in front of her.

Sue nodded her understanding as she silently left the room to leave Alyssa and Ash alone. Alyssa squeezed his hand softly placed her cheek against it, sighing she moved the chair closer to the bed and leaned against it placing her head next to Ashs, and closed her eyes.

A couple minutes later she was fast asleep, her hand still in Ashs.

**[End Flashback]**

Alyssa had tears running down her cheeks as she finished the story. Both Delia and Misty had tears streaming down their cheeks as well. They had gone through so much and it was just so unbelievable that they survived it physically and emotionally.

Delia opened her mouth to say something, but she was speechless. A sound was heard outside the window of the room they were in, Delia and Misty turned to see what it was. A hand appeared on the other side and slid the window to the right opening it, a moment later two hands gripped the window sill and pulling himself up into view was Ash.

Ash pulled himself through the window and closed it behind him, he shook his head exasperatedly, "Well that was fun," He said sarcastically, "But I got my… What happened Aly?" Ash asked worriedly as he saw Alyssa with tears running down her cheeks.

She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out, Ash turned to Misty, "What happened?"

"Alyssa told us about how you stopped her from getting cut, and-" she stopped as Ashs eyes widened. Quickly he went over to Alyssa and helped her up pulling her into a tight hug. Alyssa broke down into Ashs chest and began to cry uncontrollably.

Misty and Delia watched silently as Ash comforted the distressed blond. Ash rocked her back and forth and rubbed her back to help soothe her. Misty hated that she felt a pang of jealousy as she watched Ash comfort Alyssa. She knew Ash wouldn't cheat on her and that Alyssa had been through alot, but seeing him hold her made her jealous.

Ash slowly pulled out of the hug as her crying began to slow, "Are you okay?" He asked softly, she nodded. Ash gently put an arm around her, "Come on, I think you could use some sleep…" He trailed off as he led her to the open bedroom.

Alyssa took off her beret and placed it onto the desk before moving over to the bed and slipping under the covers.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'll be okay…" She sniffed giving him a weak smile. Ash smiled back and shut off the light.

"I'll see you in the morning Aly, sweet dreams." Ash said softly closing the door behind him.

"Night Ash." She whispered closing her eyes tightly.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash silently closed the door behind him; he turned to the two girls who were staring intently at Ash. He came around and sat down on the couch and ran a hand through his hair, "So how did you get onto that subject?" He asked curiously but was greeted by silence, neither seemed to be willing to answer so Ash continued, "Look I'm not mad it's just that is a _very_ delicate area for her. If you could please don't bring that up again," Ash asked softly, but seriously.

"We're sorry honey; we just wanted to know more about when you were away. We had no Idea that it was so…" Delia shook her head once again unsure of what to say.

Ash smiled at the two, "You don't need to be sorry, you didn't know." He took a quick glance at the clock at it was nearing eight. " I know it's early, but tomorrow is going to be a long day. By the time you get up Aly and I will be gone. My match is at 10 in stadium B, if you want to come watch that's fine. But right now you need to get some sleep.

"Alright honey, your rules we'll head to bed." Delia agreed getting up from the couch, motioning for Misty to do the same. Misty and Delia went to their separate rooms and got ready for bed. Once they were ready Delia said goodnight and went into her room to read before sleeping. Ash sat on the couch with his bag and Pikachu next to him who was already dozing peacefully.

"Ash?" Misty said softly behind him, Ash got up from the couch and smiled at the red head who was now in her pajamas.

"Yeah Mist?" He asked softly, Misty came up to him and pulled him into a hug. Ash reciprocated and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all that Ash, I couldn't imagine…" Ash cut her off by pulling half out of the hug.

"What's done is done Mist, there's no changing the past. We can talk about this in a couple days alright? But right now you get some sleep, okay?"

She nodded and leaned in closing her eyes; Ash followed her example and pulled her into a deep kiss. After a minute Misty pulled out due to the lack of air, and smiled at Ash, "Good night Ash, I'll see you in the morning…" She said quietly giving him one last peck on the lips.

"G'night Misty, sleep tight," He replied as she disappeared into her room and closed the door. Once he was alone he quickly went over to his bag and took out a pen, and a couple sheets of blank paper. He went back to the couch and placed the paper onto the table and leaned back.

Ash sat there in silence for a few minutes chewing on the end of the pen. Removing the pen from his mouth he leaned forward and began to write on one of the pieces of paper. He sat there for an hour before he sighed and slumped back into the couch tossing the pen onto the table.

He reached forward and folded each of the sheets in half and placed them back on the table stacked neatly. "Deal with those in the morning…" he yawned as he lay down on the couch and closed his eyes as he drifted off into sleep. A few minutes later the entire cabin was silent as everyone slept peacefully with a long day ahead.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay so this chapter is the beginning of the Indigo League, I was going to include Ash at the Opening Ceremony but I decided to keep that out.<strong>

**The main areas for this chapter is getting Misty, and Delia to join Ash and Alyssa. Ash registering and going incognito for the League. Umm oh and finding out a little more about Alyssa's past. I kept it very subtle but I wanted to get a bit of Alyssa's past into the story, because I know some of you were curious about it. **

**But now the thing I _NEED_ to know is who you want Ash to be paired up with. Misty or Alyssa. I have a few plot twists left to throw into the story, but it depends on the character you choose to go with Ash.** **The ending to the story will be the same, just with slightly different ideas. Not going to say what they are, but yeah.**

**Oh and next Chapter is the beginning of the preliminaries.**

**With That, _ThatOneDwarf Signing Off!_**


	11. Chapter 11

**Well I think I found the perfect answer for the question I asked last chapter, and I have to thank you all for the amazing Feedback you provided me with, it was fantastic! What happens however, will need to wait to be semi or fully answered next chapter. I'm going straight into next chapter after I finish this one because spring break is pretty much over. I'll talk about what happens at the end, see you later!**

* * *

><p>Ash awoke the next morning yawning with a stiff back. He let out a painful groan as he sat himself up rubbing his eyes. Groggily he snatched the papers he had worked on the other night and carefully slipped them into his bag to avoid wrinkling them.<p>

He glanced beside him and smiled at the still dozing Pikachu. Deciding not to wake him Ash got up off the couch and went into the kitchen, he searched around but after a while he found a pair of scissors and headed into the bathroom.

Ash closed the door behind him and walked over to the sink where the mirror was located. He eyed his hair thoughtfully as he twiddled with the scissors in his hands. His hair was no longer the bleach blond it had been a few months ago; it had grown out and was now the regular raven black hair with slight blond at the tips.

Ash began to trim away at the remaining blond for the next few minutes until the sink was coated with a thin layer of light yellow. Taking a look in the mirror, his hair was now pure black without a trace of blond. Smiling to himself, he turned on the tap and rinsed the hair down the drain before taking a quick shower.

After the shower Ash changed into his regular attire that consisted of jeans and his hoodie before going to wake up Alyssa. He knocked gently on the door, and almost instantly it was opened by a fully dressed Alyssa.

"Morning Aly, are you ready to head out?" He asked.

Alyssa nodded, "Yup, I just have to grab my gear and we're good to go!" She replied happily going back into the room. She came back out with the long case slung over her back.

"Perfect, my match is in an hour so we have plenty of time to get you and Pikachu set up," Ash walked around the couch and gently shook Pikachu awake. Once the electric type was up he hopped into Alyssa's arms and onto her shoulder.

Ash then went over to one of the closed bedroom doors and silently opened it, inside his mom was still deep asleep. Ash smirked and shook his head; he went over to his mom and gave her a gentle shake. "Mom, wake up if you're coming to my match you better wake up soon." He whispered.

Delia slowly opened her eyes and yawned, "Morning honey, are you ready for today?" She asked as she sat herself up.

He nodded, "Yup, but if you're going to make it you and Misty need to hurry because the match starts in an hour." Delia went wide eyed and shot up from the bed.

"Thank you for waking me dear, have you gotten Misty up yet?" She asked quickly as she headed for the bathroom in the bedroom.

Ash shook his head, "No Aly and I have to get going quickly or else we'll be late, so we'll see you guys afterwards alright?" Delia nodded and Ash said goodbye to his mother before heading to the front door where Alyssa and Pikachu waited.

"Okay let's go," Ash said as he pulled his hood over his head, and opened the door for Alyssa and Pikachu.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The trio left the cabin and began the short trek over to the stadium; it was a nice day out. The sun was out, but the sky was coated with a thin layer of white clouds that blocked the ocean blue sky. They continued to walk in silence until Alyssa turned to Ash and posed a question.

"Shay?" She asked to get his attention, while using his persona because they were in public.

He turned to face her, "Yeah Aly?" he replied raising an eyebrow.

She pursed her lips as she thought of what she was going to ask, "What was that small stack of paper on the table beside you last night?"

Ash wasn't sure how to answer that, so he tried to turn the conversation away from it, "When did you see those, I worked on those while you were all asleep."

"Remember we didn't get a chance to eat yesterday, and during the night I got hungry so I made myself a snack. And when I left my room I saw the papers,"

Ash nodded thoughtfully, _'Maybe I should have put those away last night…'_ He sighed, "It's nothing Aly, just something I need to get done for when I face the Rocket… Which reminds me we have to get started checking the competitors to get some leads…" He trailed off forgetting the previous conversation as they entered the large stadium and stood in the lobby, which was filled with fans, Trainers, and a receptionist.

Alyssa could tell that he was hiding something, but she'd let it go for now. "We can talk about that later, but right now I'm going to go get set up and I'll contact you before your match okay?" Alyssa said as she began to walk towards a door that said '_Employees Only.' _

Ash raised a hand in farewell as he went over to the auburn haired receptionist, "Excuse me, I have a match in fifteen minutes and I was wondering where I'm supposed to go?" He asked politely.

The receptionist looked up from what she was doing and smiled, "I take it your name is Shay?" She asked.

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Yes I am…" He replied calmly, but on the inside he was feeling slightly uneasy.

"Down the hall," She leaned over the desk and pointed towards a hallway that was through two blue doors "And second door on the right."

Ash smiled and thanked her before heading down the hallway and continued until he reached the second door on the right. He gripped the handle, twisted and pushed the door open, on the other side was a locker room that brought back old memories.

The locker room was large, and empty. The walls had televisions mounted around the room that were screening the ongoing battles. Ash sat down on a bench and began to watch the battle that was currently happening on the rock battlefield.

A Tyranitar was having a furious battle with a Salamance; the Salamance released a ground shaking roar as it unleashed a hyper beam towards the panting Tyranitar. Ash continued to watch the battle until he was brought back to his senses by his pant leg vibrating.

Ash reached into his pocket and took out his Pokegear and flipped it open, "Hello?"

"Hey Ash, Pikachu and I are all set up here, how's everything over there, you nervous?"" Alyssa replied, in the background Ash could hear Pikachu chatting in the background trying to get Alyssa to hand him the Pokegear.

"No I'm not nervous, just a bit antsy. How does everything look up there, any shady people?"

There was a pause before she answered, "No everything looks good up here, Pikachu pointed out that Misty and your mom arrived a few minutes ago,"

Ash nodded, "Okay keep an eye on them, I sh-" Ash was cut off by a red light turning on above the television screen signalling him it was time for his match. "Sorry Aly I gotta go," He finished quickly standing up and heading down the hallway in the room.

"Alright Ash good luck,"

"Pika pika Pikapi!"

"Thanks you guys, I'll make this quick see ya soon!" Ash shut off the Pokegear and slipped it into his pocket as he approached the end of the hallway where a balding man in a tank top waited for him.

"Hello?" Ash stated curiously. The man nodded and came up to Ash with a small black microphone.

"Hi, we just need to put this on your jacket so the crowd can hear what you two say." The man replied gruffly. Ash shrugged and allowed the tiny microphone to be put on him. "All good to go, good luck out there."

"Thanks, I'll do my best." Ash replied simply, he was going to make fast work of his opponent. The faster the match ended would mean that he wouldn't be out in the open for as long.

The man walked away, and Ash turned and faced the door. It had been a long time since he stepped out into an official Pokemon battle. The Coliseums in Orre could be considered official, but they were all double battles and no crowds were ever present.

He'd be lying to himself if he wasn't nervous or excited. But more nervous for the risk factor he was setting himself up for, this was the first time in years that he was showing himself to the public and he hoped to God that they wouldn't recognize him.

Ash took in a deep breath, and slowly exhaled as the door in front of him creaked and began to slide apart blinding Ash with the sun's rays. With one final deep breath Ash stepped out of the room and onto the battlefield.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Welcome everyone to the third round on the Grass field!" The Announcer exclaimed ecstatically to the crowd. The crowd roared in cheers and applause as the match was about to get underway.

On both sides of the field two pairs of twin doors slid apart and out stepped Ash, and a boy with blue hair and blue eyes, who wore jeans and a blue polo shirt. As they stepped out a large screen lit up with a picture of Ash and the boy with three boxes underneath, Ashs were green while the others were red.

The two made their way to both Trainer boxes and waited until the introductions had finished. "On the Red side is Galen Marek from Saffron City a League favorite in this competition!" Galen waved to the crowd as they cheered praise for the young boy.

"And on the Green side is an unknown Trainer who goes by the name of Shay!" The crowd cheered, but it was noticeably quieter than before. Which made Ash smirk under the shadow of his hood.

The Referee stepped forward, "Both Trainers are only allowed three Pokemon," he turned to Galen who nodded in acknowledgement and then to Ash who stood stock still; he took that as a yes.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Go Ivysaur!" Galen shouted reaching to his side and tossing a Pokeball into the air. The Pokeball burst open and in a glow materialized a green Pokemon that was on all fours with leaves and a bulb on its back.

Without a word, Ash tossed his Pokeball into the air and sent out a dark blue Pokemon with fins on its arms and legs.

"Galen sends out his Ivysaur while Shay calls out a Gabite!" The announcer exclaimed. A picture of Gabite, and Ivysaur lit up onto the scoreboard underneath their individual Trainers.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misty turned to Delia in surprise, "Wait if Shay has a Gabite that must mean his Gible evolved!" She exclaimed incredulously!

Delia nodded, "Remember A- I mean Shay had been sent a lot of his Pokemon, so some of them must have evolved right?" Misty nodded and turned back to the battle.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Galen opened his mouth to order an attack, but Ash beat him to it.

"Gabite you know what to do." He stated calmly. Gabite acknowledged Ash by leaping a meter off the ground and flipping itself so it was pointing downwards and began digging downward with incredible speed.

"Wait for it to come up Ivysaur!" Galen shouted, Ivysaur turned to his master and nodded before looking around the field for movement. After two minutes of nothing happening, the crowd started to get restless, and began to boo Ash.

Galen scowled at Ash, "You scared Shay so you're hiding in a hole?" He shouted irritably. Ash just stood unmoving, which made both Trainer and Pokemon growl angrily.

"Yeah well we'll sho-" Galen was cut off when the hole that Gabite had dug began to shine a dark orange, "What the…"

In a split second, a dark orange ball shot up out of the hole and into the air, before bursting into dozens of smaller orange spheres that plummeted to the ground towards the unsuspecting Grass Type.

"Dodge it Ivysaur!" Galen shouted desperately! But it was to know avail, Ivysaur was pelted mercilessly by the falling glimmering orbs which rattled the field and started a dust cloud as it did so.

Once the brown dust cloud cleared, Ivysaur was trying it's best to keep standing. "Don't giv-" he didn't get a chance to finish as the ground underneath Ivysaur crumbled away and out shot Gabite swinging a hard uppercut into the lower midsection of the Grass type sending it flying.

Ivysaur soared through the air before landing with a thud on the ground and swirls in its eyes. The crowd was stunned, Ash had not spoken a single command but here he was with a victory.

The referee rushed forward and held up a green flag, "Ivysaur is unable to battle the victory goes to Shay!" He shouted as Ivysaurs picture dimmed on the scoreboard leaving only two spaces remaining underneath Galen's picture.

Galen was speechless, without a word, he raised his Pokeball and recalled the fainted Pokemon.

"Great job Gabite, you did excellent! Do you want to stay and finish this or do you want to give the others a shot?" Ash asked the Dragon type.

"Bite Gabite!" Gabite replied giving Ash a thumbs _er _claw-up. Underneath the shadow of his hood a smile came across Ashs face as he recalled Gabite and replaced him onto his belt.

"And Shay recalls his Gabite after a swift victory over Ivysaur, will both Trainers call out their next Pokemon!" The announcer's voice ricocheted through the cheering stadium.

"I choose you Roserade!" Galen yelled tossing his second Pokeball into the air. The Pokeball sent out a meter tall green grass type, which had what looked like two bouquets of flowers for arms onto the grass field.

Ash shook his head as he tossed his Pokeball silently into the air, _'Poor kid only brought his Grass types to the match, Rookie mistake.'_ Ash thought as his Pokeball burst open into the large dragon fire type.

"Galen sends out his Roserade, which may have been a major mistake as Shay calls out a powerful Charizard!" The announcer shouted loudly deafening everyone in the stadium.

Ash called out across the field, "Forfeit now if you like, there's no chance for you to win." He stated calmly.

Galen looked like he had been slapped in the face, angrily he replied, "No way, Roserade Razor Leaf!" Roserade rose it's bouquet like arms and unleashed a powerful twister of razor sharp leaves towards Charizard.

Charizard snorted, and countered without a command by sending a massive jet of fire spewing from its mouth, turning the leaves to ashes.

"Charizard, Flamethrower."

Charizard opened its jaws again and let go another torrent of scorching flames over to the Grass type who took the attack head on, sending the Grass Type through the air and onto the ground skidding to a smoldering halt in front of its Trainer.

"Point to the Green Trainer!" The referee shouted as Roserade picture faded from the scoreboard and Galen returned Roserade to its Pokeball.

"And Shay takes down Roserade with ease! Coming from the unknown, Shay has unleashed two powerhouses and is definitely making an impression!" The crowd roared their approval at the announcers words with cheering and thunderous applause.

'_Forgot how easy it was to make them cheer, seeing Charizard tho probably helped.'_ Ash thought as he waited for his final opponent.

Galen reached down to his third Pokeball hesitantly, with a sigh he tossed his final Pokeball into the air and it opened revealing a large dancing Pokemon that appeared to be wearing a sombrero.

"And Galen calls out his final Pokemon a Ludicolo!" As soon as Ash recognized the Pokemon he knew he had this in the bag.

"Charizard, just like Orre!" Ashs shouted, to the Fire type! Charizard smirked and nodded, stomping it's foot onto the ground and snorting out flames.

"And now let the battle begin!"

"Ludicolo use Hydro Pump!" Galen ordered, Ludicolo extended its arms and placed its palms facing outward where a powerful torrent of water shot out towards Charizard. Charizard flapped it's powerful wings, kicking up dust as he did so and flew a meter off the ground before heading straight towards Ludicolo with tremendous speed.

"Not even gon-HUH?" Galen shouted dumbfounded as Charizard sped straight through the powerful water attack without losing speed and up to Ludicolo grabbing its arms then doing a 90 degree turn upwards. Charizard sped high into the air and began doing backflips until it stopped and dive-bombed downwards while unleashing a point-blank range Flamethrower into Ludicolos face. Ten meters from the ground Charizard heaved Ludicolo to the ground with a loud thud before extending its wings breaking itself from hitting the ground.

Ludicolo hit the ground and a dust cloud was kicked up as a tremor ran through the field. The thin dust cloud faded and the crowd gasped as they saw that the field had become a crater with a soot covered Ludicolo in the center. Ash did everything within his power not to laugh at their reaction.

"Point to the Green Trainer, and the winner of this match is Shay!" The announcer cheered enthusiastically! The crowd followed his example and stood in a standing ovation as Ash recalled Charizard and walked around the field to shake his opponent's hand.

Galen walked up to Ash and extended his hand, "Great battle Shay, congrats on the win and good luck later on." He said downheartedly.

Ash took the offered hand and shook firmly, "Thanks Galen, sorry for being so ruthless out there, you're a hell of a Trainer and I can't wait to face you again in the future!" Ash said seriously.

Galen grinned and waved goodbye as he left the way he had entered the stadium. Ash headed for the entrance he came out of, but was stopped by reporters.

"Excuse me; excuse me Mr. Shay would you like to say a word about your battle?" Ash stopped walking and looked at the cameras.

He stood there motionless, "This match was nothing compared to what's planned for later on," With that Ash left the stadium leaving the reporters dumbfounded at his parting words.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash immediately left the stadium and headed for the Pokemon Center. Even tho Gabite and Charizard hadn't taken any serious damage it was better to be safe than sorry, and while he was there he was going to start narrowing down who the Rocket could possibly.

Ash pushed open the door to the crowded Pokemon Center and made his way to the front desk where Nurse Joy stood smiling.

"Hello Nurse Joy, I was wondering if you could take a look at my Pokemon for me?" Ash asked politely as he placed two Pokeballs onto the counter.

"Sure thing and I just saw your battle it was fantastic other Trainers are going to have to keep an eye out for you!" She complimented taking the two Pokeballs and placing them onto a tray.

Ash smiled, "That's very kind of you, but it was only my first match so there isn't too much to be excited about," A thought crossed his mind, "When it comes down to the Top 16 to the finals tho that should be interesting…" He hinted subtly which Nurse Joy didn't seem to pick up on.

"Oh I'm sure that with your skills you should make it there no problem, I mean you didn't even have to order some of your Pokemon to attack they knew exactly what to do!"

Ash nodded, "That maybe so, but I have to head out and get ready. When will my Pokemon be ready?"

"Maybe in an hour or a little sooner, they didn't seem to take much damage or be too tired on the screen so they should be ready fairly soon!" She replied as she began to go to the door on the other side of the counter.

"Alright thanks a lot Nurse Joy see you soon!" Ash said with a wave as he walked away to where a crowd of Trainers stood around a monitor looking at the next match ups. Ash walked up and began to skim the chart for his next match.

He was halfway through looking when a sixth sense told him he was being watched. Ash snapped his head around and he saw by the front doors a blond girl around the age of twenty who wore a pink and white baseball cap, a pink hoodie, and green cargo pants staring at him.

She turned her gaze away from him as soon as their eyes met and walked out of the building. Ash continued to stare at the spot she stood with narrow eyes before looking at the monitor again searching for his picture.

After a few seconds he found his picture next to a brunette that was flashing a 'V' for victory sign much like he did when he was younger, under the column that said his next battle would be located at the Water Field in one hour. Ash left the center and took out his Pokegear quickly dialing in a number.

"Hey Ash great battle, I can't bel-" Ash cut her off quickly.

"I know who the Rocket is Aly, I'm looking for her right now!" Ash whispered quickly as he looked left and right for the girl he had seen moments before.

"WHAT! Ash do not follow her, how do you even know it's a Rocket?" She exclaimed furiously.

"I don't know where, but I've seen her before and she was watching me." Ash began walking down the crowded street past all of the concession stands in search for the blond.

"So she was watching you, you just battled, and where did you see her before?"

Ash sighed as he took a left and continued down the street in search of the blond, "I. I don't know but you and Pikachu don't need to stay up in the rafters anymore, you can go watch with Mom and Misty until my match with her."

Alyssa stammered for an answer, "What… That is not a good idea and you know it Ash. When's your next battle?"

"Forty-five minutes, Water Field. Look, take Pikachu and put your stuff back in the lodge. After the match you, Misty and I can talk about this." Ash replied quickly as he caught sight of pink in the distance. Ash quickened his pace to a half jog and kept his distance.

"Why Misty, how can she help with this?" Alyssa asked confusedly, she had nothing against Misty but she couldn't see how she fit in here.

"I know the Rocket from my Journey she could help narrow her down…Dammit…" Ash muttered the last part under his breath as he saw the person he was trailing was not the blond from before, but instead a person wearing a Jiggilypuff costume who was handing out balloons.

There was a pause before Alyssa answered. "Okay fine but we need to talk later alright?" She asked seriously. This puzzled Ash but he agreed.

"Okay Aly, I'll see you all after the match." Ash replied.

"Okay talk to you soon Ash…" She replied cutting off the call. Ash placed the Pokegear back into his pocket before turning around and going back the way he had come before.

'_Where have I seen her before…? I don't think she's from the Academy; she's got to be from my Journey. So which Rockets did I meet…? Jessie, James, and Meowth… I wonder what happened to them, maybe they found another kid to follow around, nah after years of following me they probably retired.'_

For the next hour until his match Ashs thoughts revolved around everyone he had met on his Journey, whether it be Team Rocket, someone he helped, or someone who may hold a grudge against him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ashs next round went smoothly; he had used Totodile against a Clamperl and won fairly easily. Totodile had stayed out to face the next opponent which was a Chinchou but lost when he was knocked off one of the floating platforms and into the water where Chinchou let go a Thunder attack; knocking out Totodile.

Ash countered by sending out Glalie who hit Chinchou with an Ice Beam, followed by a Take Down knocking it out. Ash recalled Glalie when his opponent sent out a Pidgeotto, and countered by resending out Charizard who won with ease against the smaller flying Type.

As soon as the match ended, Ash brought his Pokemon to the Pokemon center and returned to the cabin where he awaited the arrival of Misty, Alyssa, and his mom.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash opened the door to the cabin and went straight over to Alyssa's room. He opened the door and went to the desk where her laptop was located. Ash picked up the laptop and went around to the couch and sat down as he kicked his feet up onto the table and slumped back into the sofa.

Ash switched on the laptop and went to the Trainer database on the Leagues website where it had a list of each Trainer who was competing. Ash scrolled down the list of names for ten minutes until he stopped at one that caught his eye.

'_21 year old Daniel Flower,'_ Ash thought as he pursed his lips as he continued to stare at the picture of the blond.

"Where have I seen you…" Ash muttered incoherently. He drummed his fingers across the keys on the laptop as he searched deep into his memory for some insight into who she was. His thoughts were cut off by the front door opening and closing shut, he turned his head and saw Alyssa and Pikachu walking in and coming over to sit by him.

Pikachu hopped off of Alyssa's shoulder and over to Ash as Alyssa took off the case on her back. "Good job on those matches Ash, I still can't believe that you had Gabite weaken the field for Charizard." Alyssa said with a grin as she sat down next to Ash and Pikachu hopped onto her lap.

Ash nodded as a smile came across his face, "Yeah, I got lucky that the kid actually sent out a heavy Pokemon. The crowd thought Charizard leveled the field with that Seismic Toss and is some sort of powerhouse, I had to keep myself from laughing at their reaction!"

"Pikachu here thought what Charizard did was all by himself right Pikachu?" Alyssa giggled; Pikachu nodded and rubbed the back of his sheepishly.

Ash chuckled and scratched Pikachu behind the ear, "Well buddy I have a few more tricks up my sleeve so be sure to keep an eye out," The Ash became serious, "But anyway Aly this is the Rocket." He turned the Laptop so Alyssa could see the screen.

Alyssa analyzed the picture of the girl before slowly nodding, "Alright… So you don't know who she is but you've seen her somewhere before?" She asked to make sure she understood the circumstances.

Ash nodded, "Yeah, I ha-" Ash was cut off by the door opening and closing as Misty and Delia stepped into the cabin.

"Hey guys, great job out there Ash you really went all out didn't yeah?" Misty asked as she came over to Ash and sat down on his right.

"Thanks Mist," Ash replied. He cleared his throat before continuing, "Mist do you happen to recognize this girl?" He turned the screen to face Misty. Misty pursed her lips and scratched the side of her head in thought.

She slowly shook her head, "No Ash I can't say I do… Why is she important?" She asked.

Ash opened his mouth to reply but Alyssa answered for him, "Ash seems to think that she's the Rocket we've been looking for. He thinks that you two might know her from when you traveled together…" Alyssa trailed off hoping Misty could remember if this girl was a Rocket.

Misty went deep into her mind as she thought of all possibilities, "Well… Which Rockets have we met Ash I mean after everything we went through we met a few Rockets right?"

Ash nodded, "Well so far I can only think of Jessie, James, and Meowth."

"What about Buff and Cassidy?" Misty added.

"Wasn't it Biff?"

"No actually it may have been Bart… Or wait no Bob."

Ash shook his head, "No no no, it was Barney, or was it Botch?" Ash placed his head in his hands, "You know what never mind. There was those two in Alto Mare…"

Misty nodded, "Yeah they were, oh what is it… Annie and Oakley!"

"Then who was it… That guy who tried to capture Celebii… but it can't be him, because well it's a guy…"

While Ash and Misty were listing off names, Alyssa had taken the laptop from Ash and had begun searching the names in the Rocket database.

"Ash have you two met any Elites, or high ranking Rockets? That's who Giovanni would assign for an important mission like this." Alyssa stated seriously.

As soon as Alyssa mentioned Giovanni, it triggered something in Ashs mind. "Mist think back to Johto…"Ash spoke quietly as his thoughts were far away.

Misty nodded, and Alyssa turned her gaze from the laptop to Ash as she saw he was possibly onto something.

"Remember the highest mountain in Johto? You, Brock and I were… I think we were late for a bus or something and we ended up having to stay with a researcher or something right?" Ash asked uncertainly.

"Umm yeah… wasn't it like Mt. Quena…?" She said slowly not sure if she was right or not. A look of realization dawned on Ashs face as she said that.

"Mist," Ash said seriously, "What happened while at that cabin do you remember?" Misty shook her head, "Team Rocket showed up and took Pikachu, but a few minutes before that a guy and a girl showed up. And the girl looks exactly like the one on the computer but older! Do you remember her name?"

Misty did everything within her power to try and remember the girl's name, but she couldn't come up with a name, "I'm sorry guys but I'm drawing a blank…"

"It's fine Mist… But her name… It, her _code_ name was like Dark Flower… or Night Rose or something…" Ash trailed off as he thought of more possibilities.

Ash sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I'll be back in a second I just have to talk to mom about something…" Ash said getting up from the couch.

"What do you need to talk to her about?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"Just a small question nothing important. You two stay here and brainstorm and I'll be right back," He replied going over to his mother's room and knocking gently on the door before opening and closing it behind him.

"Something's up with him…" Alyssa muttered, Ash wasn't acting as if this was one of their missions. He was taking it far more laid back then he should be, and when his mom and Misty showed up he let them stay which could jeopardize the entire operation.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked curiously, Alyssa looked up to Misty.

"Oh uh, nothing Ash is just being… Odd." She replied awkwardly. Misty could see that Alyssa was somewhat telling the truth, but decided not to press the matter any further. But she did ask something that she'd been curious about for a while.

"Umm Alyssa can I ask you something?" She asked timidly.

Alyssa nodded as she went back to searching on the laptop, "Yeah no problem, fire away." She replied, contently.

"Do you like Ash?" She asked bluntly but quietly. Alyssa instantly looked up from the screen as red as Pikachus ketchup and ahead of her, after a second she turned to Misty.

"Is it really that obvious…?" Misty opened her mouth to say something, but Alyssa continued before she could start. "But I swear to God, I'd never try and steal him from you. I'm not that kind of person!" She replied quietly but truthfully.

Misty nodded, she could see Alyssa was telling the truth, but she was still a slightly worried. "I believe you Alyssa, I can see you're not the type of person who would try and take someone else's boyfriend."

Alyssa smiled back glad that Misty wasn't angry or upset with her for liking Ash. The two drifted into awkward short silence until Alyssa spoke up, "Hey Misty?"

"Yeah Alyssa?"

Alyssa pursed her lips, "There's going to be a time when Ash is going to need help…" She trailed off seriously.

Misty furrowed her brow in confusion, "What do you mean?" She asked uneasily.

Alyssa looked her dead in the eye, "There's going to be a time when Ash…Snaps. I don't know when it's going to happen; whether it is in two months or a week, but you won't be able to help him." Alyssa was dead serious on this.

"What do you mean I won't be able to help him?" She knew Alyssa wasn't trying to insult her or anything, but she didn't know what to think of all this.

"Ash has been through a lot… When you first saw him when he showed up in Pallet Town you could see he was different right?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"Yeah he was calm about everything. He told us that he hid away his emotions because of the beatings, and if he didn't he wouldn't have survived…" Alyssa nodded thoughtfully.

"Do you mind telling me what he told you?"

Misty eyed Alyssa curiously, she wasn't sure but something was going on. "Sure I-" She stopped when the door to Delia's room opened and out walked Ash who briskly came over and sat back down.

"Aly look up Black Tulip." He stated urgently.

"Black Tulip?" Ash nodded, and motioned for her to hurry. Alyssa did as told and searched the Rocket database and almost immediately a profile came up.

Alyssa opened the profile and a picture of the blond came up in a Rocket uniform. Alyssa turned her attention to Ash, "How did you figure this out?"

"I asked mom to list flowers for me since she spends a lot of her time gardening, so I figured she'd know which flower was used in her" Ash gestured to the picture "Code name."

Misty smirked at Ash, "That's pretty smart thinking Ash; I didn't know you could be so clever!"

"I'll have you know Mist I'm plenty smart, just not at math." He stated in a matter of factly tone.

"That and reading maps…" Alyssa muttered under her breath, which immediately drew Misty's attention.

"Did he get you lost to!" She asked incredulously.

"More times than can imagine," Alyssa replied shaking her head.

"Oh believe me I'm pretty sure I can. Every day when we traveled he'd get us lost in a forest or he'd make us go the wrong way."

"We were on the road for two days heading from Lavender Town to Vermillion City and Ash had the map. It turns out he led us the wrong way so we ended up in Celadon instead." Alyssa said in a disapproving tone.

"Well how often did he hold the map upside down and tell you that you were going the right way?" Misty asked curiously.

"I'M SITTING RIGHT HERE YOU KNOW!" Ash shouted in disbelief, the two were talking about his map reading skills instead of trying to figure out the identity of the Black Tulip.

Alyssa ignored his outburst and turned to Ash blankly. She blinked twice before saying anything. "Did you actually hold a map upside down?" She asked seriously.

Ashs jaw dropped, he didn't know what to say, he was speechless. He would have thought that Alyssa of all people would have at least stopped the conversation by now and gotten back to the subject at hand.

"Are we going to continue or are you two going to keep mocking me for something that happened once?" He asked exasperatedly.

Misty cleared her throat, "More like 17 times…" She mumbled. Alyssa coughed as she unsuccessfully tried to smother the laughter that was about to escape her.

"ANYWAY," Ash began loudly, "What is the name of Black Tulip…" he asked Alyssa who was still smiling a bit too wide for his liking.

She cleared her throat before answering, to try and subdue the remaining laughter, "Well most of her profile is classified, but she also goes by the name… Domino."

As soon as she said the name it clicked in Ashs head, "That bitch!" Ash shouted incredulously.

"What Ash?" Alyssa asked confused by the outburst.

"She. She was the one who tried to get me to join the Rangers! She was with Giovanni when they brought me to the Academy! After I agreed and everything Giovanni and who I now remember is Domino brought me over to the Academy and brought me down to the Sub Basement where the Rangers practice!"

Ash scowled and his eyes darkened, "When they started showing me how they practice and… Long story short she was the one who tortured me to get me to train as a Ranger instead of being a fighter." Ash got up from the couch and went over to his bag.

"Ash what are you doing?" Alyssa asked worriedly, she could see Ash was furious right now and she didn't want him going out and doing something he'd regret.

"Getting my payback ready." He stated emotionlessly as he picked up his bag and went over to Alyssa's room.

"I'll be busy for the next few hours so you guys can go out or whatever." With that Ash closed the door to the bedroom and went over to the desk and sat down.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He placed his bag onto the ground and undid one of the zippers; he took out the jacket he had been sent and put it on. Over the last few months he had, had a replica of the jacket made except larger so that it would fit.

Ash reached down into his shoe and pulled out a small knife, it was the exact same shape and size as the one he had used against the Fearow. Ash held out his left arm straight ahead of him and lined the knife up against it with the hilt slightly underneath the cuff of the sleeve, and the point running down his arm.

Ash placed the knife onto the desk and took off the jacket before turning it inside out. Ash reached into his bag and took out thread, a needle, and a knife sheath. Ash placed the throwing knife into the sheath and carefully aligned it onto the left sleeve of the jacket.

For the next hour Ash expertly sewed the sheath to the inside of his sleeve, being extra careful to not show a seam on the outside. When he finished Ash put on the jacket to make sure he still had full movement over his left arm, without any obstructions.

Satisfied that the jacket was as good as it was going to get, he replaced it into his bag and took out a pen, envelops and the papers he had worked on the other night. Ash spread the papers he had written on across the desk, and placed them into individual envelops where he wrote something onto the front before sealing them.

Ash yawned while he re-stacked the envelopes and set them neatly back into his bag. He leaned back into the chair and rubbed his neck, "Better make my time here with them last…" With a groan he stopped leaning and got off the chair.

He grabbed his bag and opened the door to the bedroom and stepped out into the living room where Misty and Alyssa were discussing something, "Whatcha guys talking about," He yawned as he went over to the door and set his bag down.

Misty gestured to Alyssa to answer, "We're uh talking about _Girl stuff._"

Ashs eyes went wide and he held his hands up in front of him defensively, "Don't say anymore, but do you think you could talk somewhere else I'm beat and could use some sleep." Ash asked as he made his way around the couch and slumped down into the cushions.

The two nodded and got up from the sofa and stretched, "It's only eight and the restaurants in the village are still open, do you want to go?" Misty asked curiously.

Ash sighed, "No you two go ahead, mom probably will go tho." Ash replied tiredly.

Alyssa eyed Ash suspiciously, _'What's wrong with him, he should be trying to stop us from going to a restaurant together. Hell he should be stopping us from going out at all…'_ Something was up with Ash and she didn't like it one bit.

"Alright we'll ask her, and what did you do to… start your payback?" She asked curiously.

"Modified my jacket a bit, nothing much." Ash stated nonchalantly, Alyssa could see through the act tho, he may have made a modification but there was more to it.

"Alright, we'll see you in a bit…"

Misty, Alyssa, Delia and Pikachu left the lodge while Ash curled up on the sofa and fell asleep. Two hours later the trio of females and Pikachu returned to the lodge and found Ash passed out on the couch. They all followed suit and went to their own rooms to sleep, while Pikachu snuggled up beside Ash.

It wasn't long until the entire cabin was quiet and the only sound was the deep muffled snoring coming from the sofa.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I'll be honest. I had trouble writing this chapter, I knew what I wanted to get in and I did. Just not very smoothy.<strong>

**Domino is from _Mewtwo Returns_ and was the perfect person I could think off to play the Rocket, as she is one of Giovanni's most loyal Rockets.**

**Your feed back from last chapter really surprised me, I took it all to heart and I think you'll be satisfied with how it all turns out. And I realized I need to include Misty more, so I did the best I could with the little amount of story left.**

**Ummmmm...This chapter left some questions about Ash that Alyssa was noticing which, most likely will be answered in next chapter because for what I have planned is going to be a whopper!**

**And I know the battle was horrible. That was where I struggled the most, so I'm going to work on those so they'll be more like the one in my other story 'A Tale of A Champion.'  
><strong>

**Oh and there will be two or three more chapters. Seriously this time, depending on how long I make next chapter there could be that and one more. Or there could be that, one more, and a short epilogue chapter... I still have to figure out how I'm going to write what happens for the ending so it plays out perfectly.**

**So anyway, Tomorrow Spring Break ends for me which will make working on the story more difficult because I wont be able to stay up late working on the chapters. Which is when I do my better writing.**

**Oh and I'm thinking about going back and redoing some of the older chapters, nothing major but re-editing and making them shorter. So like the 15K word chapters I'll split that in half etc. What do you guys think, your opinions really matter to me. But other then that how did you guys like the chapter?**

**Please Read and Review, all feedback is welcome whether positive or negative. I love seeing Reviews, they make my day.**

**Thanks again for reading. And with that, _ThatOneDwarf Signing Off!_  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**I am... I'm not going to say a thing till the end.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>[Indigo Plateau-Elite Suites]<strong>

A young man around the age of 30 with spiky flame red hair strolled through the overly extravagant hallways of the Indigo Plateaus Elite Four Apartment Suites.

The red head wore a black and red jumpsuit that was outfitted with a black cape that reached the carpeted floor. Turning right down the hallway he stopped at a door that had _'Champion-Lance'_ engraved in small letters on the front.

Reaching into his pocket, he took out a key and inserted into the key hole. He opened the door and stepped into the luxurious suite; the large room was furnished from wall to wall with soft scarlet carpet, the room had a 52 inch flat screen television mounted on the crème coloured walls. Around the room were assorted plants, tables and chairs arranged to keep the room company ready.

Lance walked over to the leather couch that was in front of the television and sat down. He picked up the remote from beside him and switched on the television in front of him.

"-Down to the wire folks, Jeremy will need a miracle if he stands a chance at making it to the Top 16. Shay has defeated two of his Pokemon with just his Totodile and Infernape without losing a single Pokemon!" The announcer's voice blared through the television speakers.

This gained the Champions attention; he had heard rumors about a mysterious Trainer coming from the unknown that had become the number one contender to win the League, and potentially to win the Champions Title itself.

Lance knew that it was very rare for a Trainer to even make it past the first Elite in the Elite Four, the last time he had been challenged for the title by a Trainer who had won the League had been five years ago. To hear that this Trainer had promise interested him greatly.

And apparently this _'Shay' _could be a worthy challenge in the future, and it was only a matter of time until he saw if that was true.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[Indigo Stadium]**

"Infernape dig and use Mach Punch!" Ash stated coolly to the Fire Monkey. Infernape leapt off the ground and flipped itself facing downwards before drilling down into the ground and out of sight, kicking up a thin layer of dirt as it disappeared from sight.

"Electabuzz keep moving and ready a Thunder Punch!" A blond boy with sunglasses ordered. A grunt came from the Electric Type as its fists began crackling with electricity. Electabuzz walked slowly around the field continually looking over its shoulder for the hidden Fire Type.

The crowd was silent as they watched with anticipation for what was to come, watching Shay proved to be an amazing show of skill and strategy. His moves were unpredictable and his Pokemon were incredibly strong.

"Now." Ash said calmly.

Electabuzz heard the command and jumped to the left to evade Infernape. It landed back onto the ground, but the Fire Type had not come out of hiding.

As soon as Electabuzz hit the ground the dirt floor crumbled away from underneath it and outshot the Fire monkey with a glowing fist that connected hard right underneath Electabuzzs jaw, sending it flying.

Electabuzz soared through the air and landed on the dirt field summersaulting until it came to a stop unmoving with swirls in its eyes.

The referee stepped forward and raised a green flag, "Electabuzz is unable to battle, and Jeremy is out of usable which means that the Victory goes to Shay who will advance to the Top 16!" The referee announced to the crowd.

The crowd shot up from their seats and started to chant Shays name in cheers. Ash had become a fan favorite with the crowd for his unusual tactics and mysterious attitude. Everyone had heard his parting words after his first match and had wondered what he meant by that, they now knew.

Ash had swept all but one match so far in the League by using unique tactics that had never been attempted before in the League.

One being where he had Gabite weaken the field with dig, then use Charizard to turn it into a crater with one move. On his third round which was on the Ice field, he had used his Infernape to melt the ice with a Flamethrower, which was followed by him using dig to create a series of tunnels under the field. He recalled Infernape and sent out Buizel and used the tunnel system to knock out all three of his opponents Pokemon.

"Great job Infernape, take a long rest you deserve it!" Ash praised as he returned his loyal Pokemon to its Pokeball.

Ash walked across the dirt battlefield to his opponent, "Great match Jeremy, I look forward to battling you in the future," Ash said as he extended his hand to the younger boy.

Jeremy smiled and shook the offered hand, "Thanks Shay, good luck in the next round I'll be rooting for you!"

Ash nodded and turned and began to leave the stadium, "Well folk's tomorrow is going to be an interesting day as the Top 16 gets underway, and the identity of Shay will soon be revealed!" The announcer spoke enthusiastically to the crowd.

Instead of cheering, the crowd started muttering amongst themselves as to who Shay really was and where he was from.

'_You're going to be shocked that's for sure…'_ Ash thought as he left the field and disappeared from sight. Ash walked through the stadium and pushed through the front doors. Ash stepped out into the chilly weather.

The sky was coated with a thick layer of dark grey clouds that blocked out the usual ocean blue sky. Ash shivered as a small breeze picked up and brushed against his face. Ten minutes passed and Ash arrived at the Pokemon Center.

Stepping into the building Ash went straight over to the matchups for tomorrow, he was puzzled when there were empty slots where Trainers pictures were supposed to be listed for their next matchup. Including his.

Ash quickly went over to the counter, "Excuse me Nurse Joy?" Ash asked quickly.

Nurse Joy smiled at Ash, "Hello Shay do you need me to take a look at your Pokemon?" She asked kindly.

Ash shook his head, "No that's alright, but why aren't I listed on the match ups for tomorrow?" He asked pointing over to the screen.

"Oh, for the Top 16 you get your match by fishing for your opponent," Nurse Joy answered coming around the counter and motioning for Ash to follow.

Ash followed the pink haired nurse to a rectangular tank filled with water. As soon as he saw it he remembered, "Oh right, we have to fish a Magikarp out right?" He asked as Joy handed him a fishing rod.

"That's right," She nodded. Ash placed the lure into the water and waited for a few seconds until he felt a tug on the other end. Ash easily pulled the flailing orange fish out of the water, and saw on the side of the Magikarp '_C-1_.'

"Alright Shay C-1 so that means your next opponent will be…" Joy trailed off as she looked at the monitor beside the tank.

A picture of Ash came up, before another appeared beside him with a bracket connecting both pictures.

Ashs eyes narrowed as he saw who his opponent was.

"Domino."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash thanked Nurse Joy for her help and went over to the nearest Vid-Phone and Transfer System. Ash turned on the screen and quickly dialed in a number, the screen soon lit up with a picture of Professor Oak.

"Hello Professor," Ash greeted politely.

Oak smiled at Ash excitedly, "Shay my boy that was an excellent match you just had, I-" Ash cut the Professor off quickly before he continued on.

"I don't mean to be rude Professor, but this is really important, I need to do a major overhaul of my current Team." Ash said seriously.

The Professor went wide eyed, "Are you facing the…" He trailed off uncertainly.

Ash nodded, "Yes Professor, tomorrow at 2pm."

Oak nodded and turned the screen so that he could see Ash during the transfers. "Alright Ash who do you need, and who are you going to send me?"

"I need to send you Tauros, Totodile, Hitmonlee, Noctowl, and Infernape, in exchange for Growlithe, Staraptor, Buizel and Gabite." Ash replied as he placed his first Pokeball onto the Transfer slot.

"Alright so if you send me them we can get this started," Oak stated as Ashs first Pokeball evaporated into white light and disappeared.

The next ten minutes Ash sent and received his requested Pokemon. "Alright Ash I just have to send over Bui-" Ash quickly cut him off.

"Excuse me Professor, but can I ask for a favor?" Ash asked quickly.

"Sure Ash what is it?"

"Would you by chance happen to have an extra FireStone I could have?" Ash asked hopefully. The Professor pursed his lips and looked to something off screen.

"Hang on a second; I may have a spare in storage." Oak guessed as he disappeared off screen. Ash waited for five minutes before the Professor reappeared on screen, "Alright Ash I gave Buizel the FireStone to hang onto, so when he arrives just let him out and he can give it to you."

Ash let out a thankful sigh, "Thanks Professor you've been a great help to me." Ash said gratefully.

The Professor waved it away, "Oh it's no problem Ash, good luck out there we're rooting for you over here in Pallet!"

"Thanks Professor, I-" Ash furrowed his brow in confusion, "What do you mean _we're_ cheering me on over in Pallet?" He asked suspiciously.

"Oh Misty invited everyone over for to watch the League before she and your mother left, she thought it would be a good thing if everyone found out you were still alive altogether." The Professor answered as he typed something in off screen.

Ash didn't reply to that, mostly because he wasn't sure how to react to it. His thoughts were cut-off by the Transfer Machine glowing white before a Pokeball materialized out of thin air.

"Alright Professor, the Team is here safe and sound. Thanks for everything…" Ash said in farewell.

Oak nodded, "No problem Ash, take care and come home safe!" Oak replied before cutting off the call. Ash slowly shut off the screen and took Buizels Pokeball out of the machine before releasing him.

Buizel appeared in a flash of light with a small object in his paws. "Hey Buizel, are you ready for a battle tomorrow?" Ash asked crouching down onto one knee so he was eye level with the aqua weasel.

"Bui Bui!" Buizel replied handing over the small stone with a small flame in the middle. Ash took the FireStone and placed it into his pocket.

"Thanks Buizel, return for now and get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow…" Ash said as he recalled the Water Type. Ash stood up and clipped the Pokeball to his side, before reaching into his pocket and taking out his Pokegear.

Ash left the center and began the walk back to the lodge as he dialed in a number into his Pokegear, a few moments later it was answered by Alyssa.

"Hey Ash, great match out there. Where are you right now?" She asked curiously.

Ash didn't answer immediately, "I got my next match for tomorrow…" he stated calmly.

"Okay, whe-"

"It's against Domino Aly." He finished.

There was no answer on the other end, after a minute Alyssa spoke, "Okay, get back to the lodge and we can get ready for tomorrow alright?"

"Okay I'm five minutes away, see you soon." With that Ash hung up and quickened his pace. After a few minutes Ash returned to their cabin and pushed open the door. As soon as he stepped in he was pushed back a step by Pikachu who leapt into his arms.

"Pi Pika chu Pikachu Pikapi?" Pikachu asked quickly.

Ash nodded, "That's right buddy, tomorrow you get to battle. But you still have to stay with Alyssa until we reach the stadium alright?" Ash asked as he scratched behind Pikachus ear. Pikachu nodded and Ash went over to his bag that was on the couch.

Before Ash opened it he looked around the room, "Are you here all alone buddy?" He asked curiously.

"Pikachu pika pika," Pikachu replied hopping onto the couch. Ash shrugged and undid a pouch on his bag and took out the jacket and hat he was going to wear tomorrow. Ash took off his hoodie and put on the blue jacket and his red and white hat.

"How do I look Pikachu?" Ash asked his little yellow friend.

Pikachu smiled, "Chu pika pika pi Pikapi!" Pikachu answered giving Ash a thumbs up.

Ash grinned and went over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Ash couldn't believe how true Pikachus words were, he looked exactly like he did when he first started his Journey. His official Pokemon League hat fit perfectly as if he had worn it every day of his life. The blue jacket he wore was slightly different than the one he had worn when he started his Journey tho. This jacket had full sleeves instead of the short sleeved older version.

Ash left the bathroom and returned to the living room where the front door opened, and in walked the three females.

"Hey Ash, so tomorrow's the big day?" Misty asked as she came up to him and examined his outfit.

"Yup, I've got my team, outfit, and almost everything else pretty much sorted out." He replied

"Oh Honey, you look so handsome in your clothing!" Delia gushed. Alyssa and Misty held in their giggles at Ashs reaction.

"Mooom, this is serious…" He whined, and under his breath he muttered, "I'm not handsome… I'm badass…"

"Oh no you're not Honey you're my little Ashy!" Delia stated placing her hands on her hips looking at him sternly. This time Alyssa and Misty couldn't help the laughter that escaped them.

"Moooom!" Ash whined throwing his hands up in the air, he shook his head and went over to his bag and took off the jacket and hat and placed them neatly into his bag.

After the laughter subsided Alyssa began to get serious, "Okay Ash, what else do you need to do to get ready?" She asked.

"Honestly nothing, it's pretty straight forward on how this all goes down. All we need to do is get you setup."

"Oh actually!" Ash said as a thought came to mind, "Mom could I speak to you privately for a moment?"

Delia smiled, "Of course Honey," She said sweetly as Ash came over to her and opened the door to her room and the two stepped in and closed the door behind them.

"What do you think they're going to talk about?" Misty asked curiously.

Alyssa pursed her lips and stared at the door suspiciously, "I dunno… But I'll find out later…" She said slowly.

It was another ten minutes before the Ash came out of his mother's room, "So what did you ask her?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"Just something that needs to be taken care of after the match, nothing big." Ash replied dismissively, "So what are your guy's plans for the rest of the day?"

"Uuh… Well I thought that we'd be getting ready. But since not… I don't know…" Alyssa was stumped at Ashs behaviour, he was acting so. So. Casual!

"How about we all go for dinner? I haven't seen you eat anything for at least two days Ash, you must be starving?" Misty suggested.

"Sure Mist sou-"

"No!" Alyssa shouted in disbelief, "Ash what… I… What the hell is up with you?" She couldn't comprehend why Ash would suddenly just go out with everyone when he was supposed to be staying out of sight.

Ash held up his hands defensively, wide eyed at her outburst, "Whoa, Aly calm down its just di-"

"No Ash it isn't _just dinner_, its jeopardizing the entire freaking point of you staying out of sight and UGH! We need to talk!" She spoke furiously grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him over to her bedroom where she slammed the door shut behind them. Leaving a stunned wide eyed Misty gaping.

'_And I thought I had a bad temper…'_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Alyssa turned to Ash fuming, "Okay Ash what the hell is wrong with you!" She whispered furiously.

"I don't kno-"

"Yes you very well _do_ know what I'm talking about dammit. Since they showed up you've been acting as if there was absolutely nothing wrong and and… UGH!" Alyssa clenched her fist to try and help calm her anger.

Ash opened his mouth to say something, but stopped and looked to the ground. "Aly I-" He was once again cut off by the furious Alyssa.

"Don't you Aly me, you've been acting differently about the entire mission since your mom and Misty showed up. I asked Misty about what you told them and I understand when you lied abo-" She was cut off by Ash placing his hand over her mouth with a dangerous look in his eyes.

"Don't speak a word of that here. I have my reasons for acting the way I am Alyssa, but I can't tell you." His voice was dangerous, but Alyssa wasn't threatened she'd been with Ash too long to know how to get around this.

"Do you not trust me enough to tell me, is that it?" She knew that wasn't the answer, but it would irritate Ash greatly.

"You know that's not true Alyssa, but do you trust me?" He asked coldly. Alyssa could see that set him off, she would trust him with her life. But trusting him with his own was a sketchy path to follow.

"I'd trust you with my life, but I'm not so sure about trusting you with your own. You're acting as if you were going to die tomorrow a…" She saw it. Just for a slight millisecond his eyes narrowed as she said the last part.

"Ash?" She asked unsurely, he didn't say anything he stood stock still staring past her.

"Ash… What are you not telling me?" She asked worriedly, she struck a nerve with him and she knew she wasn't going to like the reason for it.

"As-" She didn't get to finish as Ash turned around tore open the door and left the room. He grabbed his bag and walked straight past his mother and Misty who were staring wide-eyed at the furious Ash who opened the door and slammed it shut.

Alyssa stepped out of the room wide-eyed looking worried, "What happened to Ash, he looked furious!" Misty asked quietly as she turned from looking at the door to Alyssa.

"I… I don't know, but I don't like it…" Alyssa replied worriedly.

"Is he going to be alright, where'd he go?" Delia asked worriedly, she had never seen Ash so angry, especially since he had come back.

Alyssa shook her head slowly, "I… I don't know, but I'm going to go look for him; it's my fault he left so I have to go find him," Alyssa said as she headed for the front door.

"We'll go with you," Misty replied as she began to follow Alyssa to the door, with Delia right behind.

"Alright, if you two go search around the stadiums, I'll take the bike and check around the village for him." Alyssa stated as the trio of females left the lodge closing the door behind them.

But they forgot one important thing…

"Pikachu pika pika chu!" (What the hell about me!) Pikachu asked exasperatedly.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next few hours were spent unsuccessfully searching around the Village and Stadiums in search for the raven haired boy. It was nearing 11 and the search came to an end and the trio of females returned to the lodge and found a grumpy Pikachu, but no Ash.

The group decided to turn in for the night and hope that Ash would be back for tomorrows match. They changed into their pajamas and went directly to sleep.

Two hours after the lodge was quiet, the window in the living room was silently opened and lifting himself into the room was Ash. Ash put his bag on the ground and closed the window and went straight over to the couch and fell asleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ash your back!" Misty cried as she saw the sleeping figure sprawled out on the couch. All she got in return was a groan and Ash turning so he was facing the other way.

"Ash we were so worried about you, what happened?" She asked curiously.

She heard Ash yawn and a deep sigh, "Just stressed about today… (Yawn)" Ash mumbled.

"Well Alyssa feels horrible about making you leave; she didn't think you'd get that angry at her…" Misty informed.

"I'm not angry with her… She should be angry at me…" He muttered trying to reposition himself so he could drown out Mistys talking.

Misty cocked her head sideways, "Why would she be angry at you?"

"For not telling her that I-" Ashs eyes snapped open as he realized what he was about to say.

"That you what?" Misty coaxed.

Ash shook his head, "It's nothing Mist, what time is it?" Ash yawned.

"It's eleven, but what about what you said before?"

"It's nothing Misty, can you get the others up I'm going to go shower," Ash said as he got up off of the sofa and headed to the bathroom in the kitchen.

"Okay…" She trailed off as she went over to Alyssa's door and knocked.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

An hour later Ash was showered and was wearing his black hoodie and light blue jeans instead of his darker pair. Ash gazed out the window with an emotionless expression. The weather was not the greatest. Actually that was an understatement.

The sky was filled with dark grey clouds that blocked all traces of the sun. Rain was pouring and soaking the ground and leaving mud puddles scattered about.

"Hey Ash…" Alyssa spoke quietly, to not disturb Ash

"Hi Aly, you ready?" Ash asked calmly, not taking his gaze from the window.

"About yesterday I-"

"I'm not angry with you Aly, I was just overly stressed about today… And you were right, you do deserve to know why I've been acting the way I have been…" Ash trailed off as he turned around and went over and sat down on the armrest of the couch.

"Ash you don't have to really, it's none of my bus-"

"No Aly it is, but where is Pikachu?" Ash asked curiously. As if on cue Pikachu bounded out of the kitchen and onto Ashs lap. "Hey buddy, are you ready?"

Pikachu nodded and gave Ash a thumbs-up, "Pi Pikapi!" Ash smiled at the electric type and stroked his fur before handing him over to Alyssa.

"Good, but stick with Alyssa until we reach the stadium alright?" Pikachu nodded and Ash looked at the time, "We need to get going to get signed in and you set up…" Ash said as he got up from the couch.

Ash went over to Misty, and Delia's room and knocked to see if they were ready. A few minutes later they were ready to go.

"Okay if you two get going, we can leave a few minutes later." Ash said as he came up to the two females at the door.

"Alright honey, good luck out there!" Delia smiled sweetly. Ash smiled back and took his mom into a hug, who was slightly baffled but reciprocated warmly.

"You know I love you right mom?" Ash whispered so only she could hear.

"Of course, I love you to sweety." Ash smiled and let his mother out of the hug, and turned to Misty.

"Good luck Ash, show that Rocket wh-OS" Misty chocked as Ash brought her into a tight hug, it took a second before she could reciprocate.

Ash half pulled out of the hug so he could look Misty in the eye, "I'll see you after all this right?" he asked quietly.

Misty nodded and smiled up at Ash, "Of course Ash, where'd I be going?" She asked curiously.

Ash smiled at her, "Nowhere… I'll see you soon." He whispered as he lightly kissed her on the lips. Misty deepened the kiss by pulling Ash closer, after a few seconds he pulled out of the kiss and hug, and smiled at the two. "You two get going, I'll see you after the match."

The two nodded, and waved goodbye as they left the cabin leaving Ash, Alyssa, and Pikachu alone. Three seconds after the door shut, Ash groaned loudly and ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay Ash… What was all that?" Alyssa asked curiously. Ash had just spent ten minutes saying goodbye to his mom and Misty, when he'd be seeing them in a few hours.

Ash turned to Alyssa shaking his head, "Come on grab your stuff and I'll tell you once you're all set up…" Ash said as he went over to Alyssa's room and slung the long case over his back.

"Want me to carry that?" Alyssa asked confusedly.

"No, you're carrying Pikachu remember." With that Ash went to the front door and held it open for the blond who was carrying the electric mouse.

"Do you need a jacket?" Ash asked before she stepped outside.

"Nah I'll be fine, it's just rain." She replied nonchalantly. Ash raised an eyebrow at her; she was only wearing jeans, a green tank top, and a light green beret.

Ash pulled his hood over his head, "Alright, let's go." The trio stepped outside into the rain and had been walking for one minute when Ash spoke, "Crap I forgot my bag, I'll be right back!" Ash said as he turned around and began to head back towards the cabin.

"Alright hurry up, we'll wait for you!" Alyssa called out through the rain. Ash returned to the cabin and grabbed his bag. Quickly opening it he pulled out the stack of envelops and went over to Alyssa's room and placed them onto the desk. He took the envelope that was on top of the pile and placed it into his back pocket.

Ash turned and left the room and closed the door behind him. He picked up his bag and slung it over one shoulder before hurrying out the door and after Alyssa. A minute later Ash caught up with the two and they continued their walk towards the stadium.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As they neared the stadium Alyssa looked to her companion and noticed his hands were balled tightly into fists. "You nervous?" She asked softly.

Ash nodded, "In more ways than one…" Ash replied as they entered the lobby of the Stadium. Ash nodded to a closed door, and the trio stealthily entered and shut it softly behind them. They were in a long hallway with many doors, they continued walking until they came to a door that said, _'Roof Top Entrance'_

Ash opened the door and came face to face with a spiral staircase. "Up here I guess?" Ash said as they began the ascent up the many steps. Two minutes later Ash pushed open another door, and was greeted by the pouring rain.

"So which side is the Rocket on" Alyssa asked as she stepped out into the rain. Ash walked across the flat roof of the rectangular building and look at the central battlefield. It had been years since he had last stepped into this building and today would be his last chance to battle in it.

"Domino will be on the right," Ash stated as he took off his bag and placed it onto the ground. He then shrugged off the long case and undid the zipper.

"Forgot how big this thing was!" Ash grinned as he took out a Barrett 50 Cal. Sniper Rifle with an attached suppressor.

Alyssa smiled, "Hopefully we won't need to use it tho." She said as she came up and Pikachu hopped onto Ashs shoulder while she took the large rifle and brought the scope up to her eye and adjusted the sight.

She brought the sniper away from her eye when she remembered something, "So…" She trailed off to see if Ash would answer what was bugging him. Ash sighed and looked at the soaked ground.

"Pikachu can you go wait over by the staircase?" Ash asked looking to the Electric Type on his shoulder, Pikachu nodded and hopped off his shoulder and went over and stood guard by the door.

"Aly I…" He stopped as he thought of where to begin, "Aly about yesterday, you were right about what you said."

Alyssa's eyes narrowed as she looked at Ash, "About what part…" She trailed of uneasily.

"I wish my mom and Misty never showed up. I wish that…" He looked up from the ground and looked her dead in the eye, "There isn't going to be a tomorrow for me Aly." He said bluntly.

Alyssa gaped, "How could you say that, we've made it so far to get here. And now you think you're going to die or something?" She asked incredulously.

Ash nodded, "I… It's true Alyssa, after this match is up; it's up to you to get a message to Lance about what Team Rocket is planning…"

"Why are you talking like this! You. You. Why are you saying all this?" She shouted furiously. She couldn't even imagine where Ash would get ideas like this.

Ash sighed and opened his bag and took out a file, "When I found out that Team Rocket knew I was in Orre there was one other thing I learned…" He said walking over to Alyssa and handing her the file. Alyssa set the sniper onto the ground and took the file.

Ash watched as her blue eyes scanned the document, she looked up and met his gaze, "Why haven't… Why haven't you told me any of this? If you knew they were here to kill you why are you here? You have to get out of here! We can think of something else!" She yelled disbelievingly.

Ash shook his head, "That's why I couldn't tell you Aly, I knew that you'd tell me to run, that there would be some other way to do this."

"Ash you're not going out there, I will not allow you to go out, it's suicide!" She yelled as tears sprang into her eyes.

"I'm tired Aly. I can't keep doing this, and if it doesn't end here then Team Rocket wins."

"But you'll die!" She yelled despairingly as tears mixed with rain that rolled down her cheeks.

Ash nodded, "It's very likely, but I have a chance."

"What how?" she asked a glimmer hope in her voice.

"I take her out first." Ash said as he looked at his bag.

"Wait why can't I just-" Ash cut her off.

"No, I will not let you have her blood on your hands. Team Rocket knows about you helping me right?" Alyssa nodded, "They haven't branded you a traitor for whatever reason and I'm going to make sure it stays that way."

"But-"

Ash shook his head, "When this is over, I don't want you to get hurt for something that I can prevent. I care too much for you Alyssa, I'd die for you and you know that. I've already made sure that you'll have a place to stay and that you'll be safe after all of this."

Ash couldn't tell if Alyssa was crying or if it was rain that was running down her cheeks. Ash took off his hoodie and put it around her shoulders, "Here, you're going to freeze, and I still have a chance at getting out of this in one piece. And with my luck who knows this could be all over in an hour for all we know?" Ash said giving her a weak smile.

Alyssa put on the hoodie and looked at Ash with sad eyes, "There's nothing I can say that will make you change your mind is there?" She sniffed sadly.

"I'm afraid not…" Alyssa stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug, and cried into his chest. Ash reciprocated and held her tightly. They stood there for five minutes, before Ash broke the hug, "I have to go Aly…" He said sadly.

Alyssa shook her head as tears streamed down her damp cheeks, "Please don't do this Ash…" She whispered holding back tears.

"I have to Alyssa I'm sorry. I'll see you after the match…" He trailed off as he pulled the shivering girl into one final hug. Ash slowly pulled out of the hug and began heading to where Pikachu was waiting shakily.

"Ash wait!" Alyssa called out as he was halfway to the door. Ash turned around and saw Alyssa running towards him.

"Yeah Aly?" He asked softly.

She looked into his eyes, "Ash I need you to be honest with me," Ash nodded. "Am I going to see you again?"

Ash tore his gaze away from hers and looked at the ground, "Probably not, no…" He answered truthfully.

"Then I'll never need to live this down," Alyssa stepped forward and put her arms around Ashs neck and stood on the tips of her toes as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Ash was caught off guard, but put his arms around Alyssa's waist and returned the kiss.

After a minute Ash slowly removed his lips from Alyssa's and looked her sadly in the eye, "Goodbye Alyssa," he said as he turned around and picked up Pikachu and left the roof.

Alyssa clutched her heart with her hand as she watched the raven haired boy she was in love with vanish behind the door. "Goodbye Ash…" She whispered.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash and Pikachu hurried down the staircase, reaching the bottom, Ash pushed open the door and headed for the way he came in. He pushed open another door, and ended up in the lobby. Ash quickly walked through the crowd as fast as possible without people noticing him.

No one would recognize him as Shay since he didn't have his hoodie on, and since he had Pikachu on his shoulder. But they may recognize his face, and Pikachu was currently on his shoulder which could lead to his real identity. Ash ran down a hallway, and stopped at a door where the balding man from his first match was standing.

"Hey there, I guess your Shay?" He asked gruffly.

"Yeah that's me, don't recognize me without my hoodie huh?" Ash chuckled, but on the inside he was as nervous as hell.

"Not one bit, but you do look a little familiar. Anyways here's your microphone," He said handing over the small black clip-on microphone.

"Thanks a lot," Ash thanked as he opened the door to the locker room and closed the door behind him. As soon as he was inside, Ash took out his Pokeballs and released his Team.

"Everyone, this is the match we've trained for, for the last few months." Ash informed. There was a grunt of acknowledgement between the Pokemon.

"Do you remember our strategies for this?" Ash asked.

The group nodded, "Great, return for now and I'll see you in a bit." With that Ash recalled his five Pokemon and set Pikachu on a bench with his bag. Ash opened his bag and took out a dry black T-shirt, his jacket, and the hat.

Ash took off his damp shirt and tossed it onto the ground, as he put on the dry shirt. He then put on the jacket and hat and looked in the mirror. He looked like the old Ash Ketchum everybody knew, the happy, cheerful, confident Ash that people could look up to.

Ash went back to his bag and reached in for a water bottle, but stopped as he saw something else. Instead of the water bottle, Ash took out a black T-shirt with a red R on the front. Ash stared transfixed at the shirt until Pikachu broke his thoughts.

"Pichu pika Pikapi?" Pikachu asked curiously.

"I'm fine buddy…" Ash trailed off as he went back to the mirror and held the long sleeved Rocket shirt up against his chest. Ash stared into his own eyes, _'I'm not the kid I was all those years ago… I'm different, I've changed… If I'm going out there, I'm going out as who I really am…'_ Ash tore his gaze away from the mirror and reached into his sleeve and took out the throwing knife and placed it on the bench beside his bag.

Ash took off his hat and jacket and placed them on the bench beside Pikachu. "Pika Pikapi?" Pikachu asked curiously.

Ash reached into his bag and took out a pair of black sweatpants and his old black hat. He quickly took off his shirt and jeans and changed into his old Rocket uniform. He reached deep down into his bag and searched around until he found a pair of light grey boots that had been forcefully folded into the bottom.

Ash put on the grey boots and took out three final items. He took out his knife, a double scabbard, and a pair of grey glove.

Ash clipped the double scabbard around his waist and placed his main knife and throwing knife into their individual sheaths, and then slipped on the grey gloves, tucking the ends of his shirt into the ends.

Ash picked up his Pokemon League hat, and his black cap. "Which hat Pikachu…?" Ash asked turning his gaze to the yellow mouse beside him. Pikachu eyed both hats thoughtfully, after a minute Pikachu jumped and took Ashs black hat and placed it on his head.

Afterwards he took the red hat and placed it on his own. Ash grinned at his best friend, "Great idea buddy, I couldn't have come up with a better solution myself!" He scratched Pikachu behind the ear and placed him on his shoulder.

Ash took his wet jeans and reached into his back pocket and removed the envelope, quickly placing it into his pants pocket.

"Pika chukka pi pi Pikapi!" Pikachu said pointing to the little microphone on the bench.

"Oh right thanks for reminding me!" Ash said as he picked up the microphone and clipped it to the collar of his shirt.

"Well I guess all we have left to do is wai-" Ash was cut off by a red light switching on above a TV that was mounted on the wall.

"Never mind, you ready Pikachu?" Ash asked as he began the walk down the hallway that led to the entrance of the battlefield.

"Pi!" Pikachu agreed confidently.

They neared the end of the hall, and waited in silence until it was time for them to enter the battle.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Welcome everyone to the first round of the Top 16 and the match you've all been waiting for!" The announcer exclaimed excitedly his voice booming throughout the roaring stadium. The crowd was on their feet cheering their hearts out in anticipation for Shays revealing.

"The weather may be awful, but today's match will be nothing short of spectacular between the Red Trainer, from Goldenrod City who uses her beauty, charm, and skills as a Trainer to send her opponents Pokemon packing, _Daniel Flower!_" The crowd applauded loudly as the blond stepped out into the stadium and over to her side of the field as the scoreboard lit up with a picture of her and six boxes underneath in red.

The announcer waited to build suspense for the upcoming challenger. Once the crowd had begun to get restless he began, "And for her opponent who has taken the League by storm, by his unique tactics and mysterious ways to win the hearts of many; Please everyone welcome the Green Trainer from Kantos own Pallet Town, As-" The announcer cut off coughing as he read who the next Trainer was.

On the field the Green side doors began to slide apart but no one entered the field. "A-And the Green Trainer!" The announcer wasn't very enthusiastic as he continued, he was more in shock.

"A-Ash K-Ketchum from Pallet Town…" The world went silent…

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><p><strong>A cliffhanger if there ever was one... But who cares, since I'll most likely be uploading another chapter tomorrow... That's right, A Rise From Ashes is completed. I have next chapter finished and... Shit am I impressed with how it turned out. It's definitely one of my top fave chapters, but there will be a VERY short chapter coming after next chapter, The Epilogue.<strong>

**Any ways please Read and Review this! It would really mean a lot since we're nearing the end... Any ways I'm going to answer a few things that may be running through your mind.**

**Ash and Alyssa kiss, yes wanna know why? Because she doesn't know if she is going to see Ash again after the match. And it was slightly longer then the Misty Ash moment this chapter, but hey. Ash and Misty had their big moment a couple chapters ago... And I modeled it after Star Wars the Force Unleashed, where Galen and Juno share their first kiss...  
><strong>

**And what else... Battle begins next chapter, and Fk I'm stoked to upload next chapter! But there will be unanswered things next chapter as well, which will be answered in the epilogue...**

**_Now I have a Question for you! Do you want me to upload next chapter today, or upload it tomorrow morning? Your choice. Then on Thursday, I will most likely upload the Epilogue. _  
><strong>

**Anyways I have another question that I'll be asking next chapter, but I'll get to that when the time comes...**

**So PLEASE! Read and Review, I love getting reviews Positive and Negative, and just thanks so much for reading. Just two more Chapters to go!**

_**With that, ThatOneDwarf Signing Off!**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Well Everyone, here is the Final chapter before the epilogue. I am very proud of this chapter, I got it done at 3AM this morning and I couldn't be happier with the ending. I'll talk about it more at the end. Until then, Please enjoy!  
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><p><strong>[Pallet Town-Ketchum House Residence]<strong>

"Everyone hurry up the match is going to start!" The brunette May shouted as the Pokemon League came back on from its commercial break.

Quickly a horde of people hurried out of the kitchen with drinks and snacks and sat down on and around the sofa in front of the television.

"Who's battling next?" A thirteen year old teal haired Trainer with large glass asked excitedly.

"A girl named Daniel and Shay!" May squealed excitedly.

"Shay's awesome and so cool and strong I want to be just like him!" The boy replied enthusiastically.

"Quiet down Max, the introductions are about to begin!" The blunette Dawn said seriously as she turned up the volume on the television. Her, May, Brock, Tracy and the Professor knew that Ash was about to compete and they wanted to see every second of it. Gary, Max, Drew, and Paul, were unaware of the upcoming revelation and were waiting patiently. Well everyone but Max that is.

"But Dawn, I-"

"Listen kid, take it easy, we get you have a crush on this Shay guy but you need to quiet down for when they say his name!" A spikey haired male brunette said coolly.

"But Gary-"

"Quiet down all of you!" Professor Oak shouted irritably! "All you have done is bicker, bicker, bicker and you haven't been quiet since you woke up. Now if you will please be quiet they're about to begin!"

Everyone in the room stared wide eyed at the irritated Professor before silently turning their attention to the television.

'_The weather may be awful, but today's match will be nothing short of spectacular between the Red Trainer, from Goldenrod City who uses her beauty, charm, and skills as a Trainer to send her opponents Pokemon packing, Daniel Flower_!' The announcer on the TV cheered.

'_Here it comes_…' Five people in the room thought simultaneously.

'_And for her opponent who has taken the League by storm, by his unique tactics and mysterious ways to win the hearts of many; Please everyone welcome the Green Trainer from Kantos own Pallet Town, As-' _They stared at the screen with anticipation.

"Who from Pallet Town is com-" Gary was cut off as the announcer continued.

'_A-Ash K-Ketchum from Pallet Town…'_

The room silenced as they heard the name.

"Wha-Wha-WHAT!" Gary shouted in disbelief staring at the screen as if it was crazy.

No one replied, they just waited in shock for the impending arrival of Ash.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[Deep in a Forest in Kanto]**

"Come on Jess pass me a can of soup I'm starving here!" A blue haired man whined as he reached desperately across the forest floor to a red head with long hair and a scowl on her face.

"No James this is the last can and its mine, go find food elsewhere!" She said triumphantly as she held the can of soup away from James.

"You's two be quiet, I'm tryin ta watch the League here!" A catlike Pokemon shouted as he moved the antenna around on a small portable television.

Jessie and James moved over to where Meowth was messing with the television, _'-Opponent who has… unique tactics and…'_

"Come on Meowth get this thing fixed," Jessie shouted irritably.

"I'm tryin here, I don't see's you two's helpin-" Meowth stopped as the sound and picture became clear. The trio of villains huddled together around the small screen and watched intently.

"The Green Trainer from Kantos own Pallet Town, As-"

"Oh it's just some farmer from-" Jessie stopped as the announcer finished.

'_A-Ash K-Ketchum from Pallet Town…'_

"THE TWERP!" The three shouted simultaneously as they leapt to their feet in surprise.

"Bu-bu-but!" James stuttered.

"The Twerp… It's…. It's the freaking Twerp!" Jessie exclaimed in delight!

"Waits you guy's he ain't even come out yet, how's we know it's really him!" Meowth stated as he turned up the volume.

"But if it's the Twerp we can go capture his Pikachu! We couldn't do it before because it didn't feel right… But now. Meowth ready the balloon!" Jessie ordered excitedly.

"Oh sit down Jess we can do that after, lets watch!" James grinned delightedly.

"Oh fine, but afterwards… Meowth ready the balloon!"

"Yeh yeh, maybe aftawards…" Meowth replied waving his paw dismissively.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[Indigo Stadium]**

Not a word was spoken; the only sound was the pouring rain that pelted the stands and field of the stadium.

Then in a second. It was in an uproar.

"Lies!"

"He's dead!"

"Who's this imposter?"

The crowd was in a frenzy, they had all seen the accident five years ago and they knew of the death of Ash Ketchum. There had been a memorial held for him the following year at the Indigo, and Sinnoh League in his honour.

The fact that after five years he would comeback from the dead was impossible.

The uproar ceased in an instant as a lone figure could be seen down the tunnel of the Green entrance. The scoreboard lit up with a picture of Ash in his Kanto attire and six green boxes underneath. However the person who walked out was not dressed in those clothes.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash took a deep breath, he didn't speak because his voice would come through microphone and that would ruin his entrance. He heard the crowd silence before becoming rowdy; he knew the reaction would be less then welcoming, but that didn't deter him.

With one last determined breath Ash and Pikachu finished the walk down the hall and stepped into the pouring rain. The crowd gasped.

"It's him!"

"That's his Pikachu!"

"What's he wearing?"

The crowd was shocked by the appearance of Ash, but now they were even more shocked to see the Rocket uniform he currently donned.

"Domino." Ashs voice was cold as it echoed through the stadium silencing everyone in a heartbeat. The atmosphere changed to match the weather; it was dark, cold, and unsettling.

Domino smirked, "Your Highness," She bowed to him as he stepped up to his box.

Ash grinned, but it never reached his eyes. "I'm sorry, but it's not the same if I'm not at the Academy." he stated.

"So what's with the get up?" She jerked her thumb at his clothing, "Thought you had your kiddy clothes to wear for the big day?"

"I thought about it, I'm going to end it the way it started." He stated as he reached for a Pokeball at his side.

"Oh and how might that be?"

"As who I am, a Rocket."

Domino grinned evilly as she reached for a Pokeball at her side.

Ash turned his gaze from the blond to the stunned wide-eyed Referee. "Are you going to start?"

"O-Oh…Ye-ye-Yes… The-The following is a six on six b-battle between Daniel Flower a-and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town… Are bo-" He didn't finish as Ash and Domino tossed their Pokeballs into the air and released their first Pokemon.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[Indigo Plateau-Elite Suites]**

Lance opened the door to his suite and went over to a nearby desk and sat down dropping a stack of papers onto it as he did so. He had just gotten out of a meeting with the other members of the Elite Four, and now he had paper work to fill out.

Sighing, he took a document and began to fill out the necessary information and stamping his seal of approval. Ten minutes in he got a phone call. Getting up from his chair he walked over to the videophone and turned it on.

"LANCE ARE YOU SEEING THIS!" A blond woman with strange black hair clips in her hair yelled on the other end.

Lance pulled the receiver away from his ear as he was deafened by the screech.

"Cynthia what are you yelling about?" He asked as he brought the phone back to his ear.

"Are you not watching the League? You have to get down there!" She exclaimed.

Lances eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "No I just got back from a me-"

"WELL TURN IT ON!" Cynthia shouted cutting him off.

Lance did as told and turned on the television before switching to the current match. His eyes widened as he saw a member of Team Rocket.

"Cynthia a member of Team Rocket is competing!" He asked incredulously!

"Yes, but it's Ash Ketchum!" She exclaimed in disbelief running a hand through her long blond hair.

Lance gaped, "The one you wanted to take as an apprentice, the one from the Sinnoh Attack?" He asked seriously to clarify.

"Yes Lance it's really him you have to go get him to safety quickly!"

Lance nodded, "Alright, I'm an hour away. When I get there I'm bringing him back to Indigos Head Quarters and I need you and Steven to get here ASAP!" Lance said as he reached into his cape and pulled out a Pokeball.

"Good luck Lance." Cynthia said in farewell as she shut off the call. Lance hung up and ran for his balcony, pushing open the glass door he tossed his Pokeball into the air and materialized was his faithful yellow Dragonite.

Lance swung onto its back, "Dragonite full speed to the Indigo League, don't hold back!" He shouted as Dragonite lifted off the ground and shot off into the horizon at an incredible speed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Neither Rocket called the first move; Ash had called out his Gabite while Domino had released a Raticate. The pairs were staring each other down.

"Gabite Slash!" Ash ordered!

Gabite sprinted down the field with its claws glowing white and began slashing away at the normal type.

"Raticate, counter with Bite." Domino said nonchalantly. Raticate dodged then began snapping at Gabite's arms with its massive front teeth.

"Gabite dig down, then take it out!"

Gabite dodged a bite by digging into the ground, disappearing in a cloud of dust. Raticate looked around frantically, while Domino picked at something on her jacket.

'_She's not even trying…'_

The silent field erupted underneath of where the Raticate stood and sent it flying as an orange sphere shot into the air and shattered into dozens more that plummeted down towards the injured rat.

Raticate was pelted mercilessly with the powerful Dragon type move, while Domino stood smiling. The Referee ran forward and raised a green flag.

"Raticate is unable to battle, point to the Green Trainer!" The referee announced. No one cheered, no one said a word, leaving the stadium in an eerie silence. Domino hadn't even tried to take out Ashs Pokemon and had left it to fend for itself. And Ash was a case himself, he was dressed as a member of Team Rocket, and had said he was a member of them.

"If you're not going to try, then get this over with Domino. Don't delay this." Ash called out to the girl.

"And why would I do that?" She asked smirking as she tossed another Pokeball out onto the field. The Pokeball opened and in a flash of light emerged a large purple cobra.

Ash sighed, "Gabite return," He stated as he recalled the Dragon Type, and tossed out another. Staraptor emerged onto the field.

"Staraptor Brave Bird!" Ash ordered. Staraptor sped off quickly towards the Arbok and spun being engulfed by an intense blue energy.

Domino watched as Staraptor drove headfirst into the purple cobra and sent it sailing into the wall of the stadium.

"Aerial Ace!"

Staraptor U-turned and accelerated back towards the heavily damaged Pokemon. Staraptor drove its beak into the midsection of Arbok and speared it back into the wall.

Domino yawned as the Referee stepped forward and raised his Green flag, "Arbok is unable to battle, point to the Green Trainer!"

Ash scowled, "So how does this go down Domino? You lose, then when I walk out you put a bullet in my back?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about; I'm waiting for the right time to go on the offensive." She replied casually.

"What if I can give it to you?"

Domino raised an eyebrow and smirked, "And how by chance would you do that?"

Ash smirked, "These Pokemon you sent out aren't the ones I'm interested in. You send out one of the special ones and battle, and I'll give you that chance." Ash bargained.

"I don't think so, why-" Ash cut her off.

"You'll have to send one out eventually, so we can continue at the pace we're going and I slowly take out your team. Or you send one out and we end this."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" She asked tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"I've accepted the outcome of this match. I just want to see what I've been trying so hard to stop, that's all."

Domino smirked, "Alright, but how will you allow me to do this?"

"Don't worry, I've planned for this." Ash replied.

"Alright, you got yourself a deal your Highness!" She bowed mockingly and took out a Pokeball. Ash quickly recalled Staraptor and Pikachu ran out onto the field.

"Pikachu you're not battling, return!" Ash ordered forcefully as he pulled out a Pokeball. Pikachu solemnly returned with his head lowered and ears dripping with rain.

Domino removed a Pokeball from her side, and tossed it into the air. The ball burst open and in a flash of light emerged a black dog Pokemon that Ash was all too familiar with.

As soon as it came out, Ash could feel the dark Aura that clouded it. The Houndoom was cold, heartless, vicious, a machine made for the purpose of killing.

"This is what you trained for!" Ash called out as he tossed his Pokeball into the air, in a flash of light a large orange dog appeared on the field snarling at his opponent.

"Are you ready Arcanine?" Ash called out. There was a growl of assent from Growlithes evolutionary form as it pawed the ground in anticipation.

"Th-The follo-" The announcer was cut off.

"Houndoom Flamethrower!" Domino ordered.

Houndoom opened its jaws and unleashed a scorching torrent of flames towards Arcanine.

"Block!" Ash shouted.

Arcanine countered by releasing a barrage of flames that collided with the upcoming attack. The attacks met in the center of the field and were evenly matched for power as the streams of flames steamed from the rain.

The Flamethrowers ceased and the two Fire Types glared at each other snarling. "Arcanine use Crunch!" Ash ordered eying the Dark type at the other end of the field. Arcanine dashed off with incredible and snapped its jaws shut on the Houndooms throat.

"Slash no holding back!" Domino ordered grinning evilly. Houndoom twisted and slashed its claws deep into Aracaines chest, tearing into its skin drawing a trickle of blood.

Arcanine let its hold go on the Dark Type as it yelped in pain staggering back.

"Arcanine, Stomp followed by Thunder Fang!" Ash shouted clenching his hand into a fist.

Arcanine winced as it brought its massive paw up and slammed it down onto the spine of Houndoom, forcing it onto its stomach. Arcanine quickly followed by its fangs sparking with electricity and biting down onto the neck of the Dark Type electrocuting it.

Houndoom instinctively retaliated by turning its neck and unleashing a devastating point blank range Flamethrower into the face of Arcanine. Arcanine jumped back as the flames passed through its fur turning it a shade of black.

"Arcanine Extreme Speed then use Flamethrower!" Ash ordered as he watched the Dark Type closely. Arcanine disappeared from sight and slammed head on into Houndoom who slid back at the impact but shook off the blow seemingly unaffected.

As Houndoom slid back, flames propelled out of Arcanines jaw and engulfed the Dark Type.

The flames continued for ten seconds before the attack ceased,

Ash eyed the black dog with extreme curiosity, _'It should have been takin down by now. Even tho it was a fire attack that hit it was still extremely powerful.'_

"Houndoom Hyper Beam!" Domino smirked.

"Block with Fire Blast!"

Arcanine opened its jaws and unleashed a massive jet of flames that rocketed off towards the incoming orange beam of energy.

The two attacks collided and the Hyper Beam cut cleanly through the flames and impaled Arcanine sending it somersaulting through the mud.

"Arcanine, can you continue?" Ash asked worriedly as he saw the Fire Type painfully get to his feet. Arcanine growled flaring its fangs in acknowledgement.

Ash pursed his lips, was it worth it? Put Arcanine through more pain just to see how far the Houndoom would go?

"Alright try a Flamethrower!

"Bite!" Domino ordered.

Arcanine unleashed a torrent of flames towards the Dark Type who was sprinting across the field. Houndoom dove through the blaze and straight at Arcanines leg, driving its fangs deep into the Fire Types flesh.

The stadium physically winced as they heard Arcanine yelp in pain.

Ash gritted his teeth together as he saw blood begin to soak into Arcanines fur coat, "Arcanine Thunder Fang no mercy!" Ash barked angrily.

With tremendous effort Arcanine snapped its jaws down onto the back of the neck of Houndoom, driving its teeth deep into the soft flesh and drawing blood. Houndoom winced, which made it tighten its grip on Arcanines leg.

Seconds later Arcanines teeth crackled with sparks before electricity was sent coursing through the Dark Types veins and through its body, which was amplified by the wetness of its fur coat.

Houndoom continued to bury its sharp fangs into Arcanines leg, which was now dark red with blood.

Ash couldn't take it anymore; he reached for his belt and took out Arcanines Pokeball, "I forfeit this match, Arcanine return!" Ash shouted as the red beam of light engulfed the bleeding Fire Type, and returned it to safety.

"Time for your end of the deal Ketchum." Domino stated as Houndoom slowly walked back to its side of the field.

Ash closed his eyes, and reached for another Pokeball. Unclipping it from his belt, he enlarged it and looked back at Domino.

"I know," Ash said as his other hand moved to the scabbard on his side and removed the throwing knife.

Domino grinned as she saw the motion, "You won't be fast enough."

"I make the first move got it?" Ash state firmly.

Domino smirked, "Fine."

Ash tossed his Pokeball over the field, and switched the knife over to his right hand. The Pokeball burst open and Charizard materialized onto the field, glaring menacingly at the injured Houndoom.

"Charizard. It's time."

Charizard snapped its gaze from the Dark Type to Ash and shook its head. "You will do this Charizard. If you don't Gabite will."

Charizard growled at Ash, and shook its head. "Are you going to do it?" Ash asked as he raised Charizards Pokeball to point directly at him.

Charizard scowled and looked back at Domino, after a second Charizard returned its gaze to Ash and grunted.

Ash nodded, and replaced the red and white sphere onto his side. Charizard moved to Ashs right so there was no obstacles between the two Rockets.

The world was watching uneasily between the interactions of the two battlers. There hadn't been a match where Pokemon had been driven to the point of bleeding in more than ten years. The brutality shown in the previous match, and the discussions between Ash and Domino had been fairly unsettling.

"You ready?" Domino asked as she reached into her jacket.

"Never been more ready in my life. Charizard use Sand Storm!" Ash ordered.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Alyssa lay prone on the roof of the Stadium watching Ash and Domino carefully through the scope of the sniper rifle.

Ash spoke, "I forfeit this match, Arcanine return!" Alyssa watched as the red beam of light contacted Arcanine and returned it to the safety of its Pokeball.

"Time for your end of the deal Ketchum." Alyssa had to restrain herself from touching the trigger as she aimed the rifle at Domino's skull.

Alyssa pointed the gun at Ash and watched as he removed his throwing knife from his side and released Charizard onto the field.

"You ready?" Alyssa returned the barrel to its previous position and flicked off the safety.

'_I'll be damned if I lose him here.'_ Alyssa thought as she removed the safety. She had never killed a person, and her adrenaline was coursing through her trying to make her pull the trigger prematurely. She had to wait for the Sandstorm and use it for cover so her shot couldn't be traced back to where she lay.

"Never been more ready in my life. Charizard use Sand Storm!" Alyssa held her breath and waited.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Delia what's he talking about… I-I don't like this." Misty stuttered worriedly. As soon as she saw Ash in the Rocket uniform she knew something was wrong.

"I… I dunno sweety but I don't like this. I don't like this one bit…" Delia whispered as she nervously played with her jacket.

Misty saw Ash reach to his side and remove something, "He! He's going to try and Ki…" She stopped; she didn't want to believe what she was witnessing.

Charizard appeared on the field and Delia saw Domino reach into her jacket. Delia paled as she realized what was about to happen, "Oh God no, oh God please no… They're going to…" She was shaking, as Ash argued with Charizard.

Misty paled as she saw was Delia realized, "We-We need to get down there, now. We have to get him out of there!" Misty shouted as she got up from her seat.

She stopped as Delia grabbed tightly around the wrist with tears in her eyes, "We can't stop this Misty. We won't make it in time, and-and what would we do if we made it down there in time?"

Misty was close to panicking, "We, we, we, I don't know! We stop it!" She shrieked.

"Sit down it's… Up to Ash." Misty stared disbelievingly at Delia, she was going to watch her own son be gunned down and she was acting as if it was inevitable.

"I-" She didn't get a chance to continue as the field and stadium were engulfed into a thick cloud of sand and dust that blinded everyone from seeing a meter ahead of them.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Charizard flew a meter of the ground with its wings glimmering an irony white. Charizard stopped flying and fell to the ground landing firmly on it's to feet starting a dust cloud around it.

Charizard flapped its powerful wings and a large twister of dust spawned in front of it and soon enlarged and covered the stadium in a thick deafening cloud of dust. It stopped flapping when it heard a feint snapping sound through the storm.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The stadium coughed as dust and sand filled their lungs, after a minute, the deafening storm slowly began to fade. The crowd watched the field curiously as it was still engulfed by a thick cloud of dust.

After a minute, there was a sound.

A terrified shriek echoed through the silent arena.

It was soon followed by hundreds more as everyone could see a body that lay unmoving on the field below.

"Oh God no!" Delia shot up from her seat and pushed through the shocked crowd and over to the stands entrance. She bolted through the stadium and found her way over to the doors of the field entrance.

Pushing through the field doors she sprinted as fast as she could over to the prone figure on the ground. She fell to her knees as tears streamed down her face as she saw the blood soaking through Ashs shirt.

"Ashy why, Ashy no please no…" She hiccuped as she watched her dying son shakily reach into his pocket and grip the envelope tightly.

"Oh God no, no, no…" Misty sobbed as she reached Delia and saw the pale Ash. She fell to her knees, but was quickly pushed aside by a frantic Alyssa.

"Move!" She shouted as she took Ashs knife from his belt and cut from the collar down so she could examine the wound.

She heard footsteps rapidly approaching, but she didn't remove her eyes from the bloody wound. The bullet had entered three inches underneath the heart.

"Get him on the stretcher!" Nurse Joy ordered hurriedly as she saw the blood gushing from the pale boy. Two men lifted the limp body and placed him on the stretcher.

Alyssa hopped onto the stretcher and sat herself over top of Ashs chest and pressed firmly on top of the wound with both hands to try and stanch the blood flow.

Misty and Delia watched terrified as Ash was wheeled through the doors of the stadium and out of sight. Misty returned a furious Charizard to his pokeball and picked up a shaking Pikachu before the two females sprinted after the departing stretcher.

Leaving a paled, scared, shocked, and terrified world.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[Four Hours Later]**

Misty, Alyssa, Delia, and Pikachu waited in uncomfortable silence in the hospital waiting room. Three hours ago Ash had been moved to the hospital unconscious and losing blood fast. They had arrived at the hospital and Ash had been immediately taken to the Emergency Room for surgery.

Misty and Delia held each mother's hands tightly as tears ran down their cheeks. Alyssa was holding Pikachu tightly to her chest, staring at the white tiled floor without blinking, and Pikachu kept his face buried in her hoodie trying to remove the images he saw.

He had been right beside Ash when he hit the ground. He saw the shocked Ashs expression when the bullet took him in the stomach. The images were imprinted in his mind, and they wouldn't be going anywhere.

The red Emergency Room sign turned green with a quiet _ding_. The three females snapped their gaze to the door with anxiety.

Time seemed to slow down for them for the seconds seemed like hours before a doctor arrived. The man wore a light blue short sleeved t-shirt that was tucked into the matching pants. He had a face mask and short brown hair.

Delia watched in suspenseful worry as he approached her, "Mrs. Ketchum?" He asked softly.

"Ye-Yes…" She couldn't continue.

He took of the face mask, "Your son is alive."

Those four words sent an unimaginable amount of relief and happiness over the four occupants in the room.

"Oh thank god…" Delia cried, "Can we see him?" She pleaded.

The doctor shook his head, "Unfortunately no, he is still under careful observation, but he will be moved to a room shortly which is when you can see him." He informed.

Delia nodded shakily, "Thank you doctor, thank you so much…"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Fifteen minutes later the doctor came back to the group and brought them into a small room square room where a shirtless Ash was on a bed hooked up to IV bags, and a heart rate monitor.

The four didn't say a word; Pikachu hopped out of Alyssa's grasp and onto the bed and carefully approached Ash and gently snuggled up by his side.

Delia, Misty, and Alyssa sat in silence as they watched the unmoving boy. "Alyssa what happened out there?" Misty whispered.

"I wish I knew… He told me on the roof, that they knew he would be at the League… That they were there to kill him…"

"But… But why did he go if he knew that they wanted him…" Delia didn't finish, she couldn't bring herself to say those words.

Alyssa shook her head sadly, "He's gone through too much… He doesn't want to keep running, hiding, being alone. He just wants it to be over, and if that means by him sacrificing himself so that Team Rocket is stopped… Then that's what he'll do." Alyssa fought with every ounce of strength to keep her tears in.

"Excuse me?" A quiet voice spoke from behind them. The three females turned around and saw a red haired man with a cape.

"Mrs. Ketchum?" Lance asked softly.

Delia stared wide eyed at the Champion, "Ye...Yes?"

Lance stepped into the small room, "I'm sorry that you have to go through all this, my name is Lance." Lance nodded to Delia and turned to Misty, "It's nice to see you again Misty… I just wish it could be under better circumstances," Then turning to Alyssa, "and your name?"

"Alyssa…" Alyssa stared curiously at the Champion, why would he be here…

"It's a pleasure to meet you Alyssa. I guess you three wonder what I'm doing here?" He asked. The three nodded.

"I came for Ash, I tried to get to the Stadium sooner, but I was too late."

"What do you want with Ash?" Misty asked worriedly turning to look at the sleeping raven haired boy.

"He could have important information regarding Team Rocket, I came to-"

"Ash and I have the information you need. It's all back at our cabin at the League." Alyssa stated as she went around to Ashs side.

"What" Lance asked curiously?

"Ash was a former Team Rocket trainee, and I'm-"

"And you were not supposed to shoot remember?" A weak voice spoke. Everyone snapped their gaze to Ash who was trying to sit himself up.

"Ash!" The three females chorused together in delight.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu snuggled against Ashs side.

"Ash lay back down your too weak!" Misty scolded as she gently pushed Ash back down.

Ash looked offended by the remark, "I've been shot before, it's not like I'm dead or anything… Lance it's nice to see you again." Ash greeted.

"Hello Ash, how are you doing?"

"I couldn't help but over hear your conversation…" Ash stopped as he reached into his pocket and produced the envelope.

"This is your information here." Ash extended the envelope over to Lance who took it shocked. "This is all the information?" He asked in surprise.

"There's more back at the lodge like Alyssa said, but that's a rundown of what Team Rocket is doing. I don't know how much you and the G Men know, but I doubt it's as much as I know…"

Lance opened the envelope and took out a sheet of folded paper, he began to read the writing on it and after a minute he finished.

"You're sure about this?" Lance asked seriously.

"Yes, we have the important details back at the lodge and you can have full access to those. On one condition."

"And what's that?" Lance raised an eyebrow at Ash.

"You kill that son of a bitch Giovanni." Ash stated coldly.

"The G Men don't kill-" Ash cut him off.

"This won't end until he's dead. If you capture him and keep Giovanni alive, Team Rocket won't stop. You have to take out the leader, then without anyone leading them they'll panic. And once they panic they disband. Then you arrest every single one of their sorry asses's and put them behind bars, and charge them for murder."

Lance eyed Ash curiously, "We'll see… What about you what are you going to do?"

"Go home. My war is done, and so is Alyssa's, they think I'm dead so I change my name, die my hair and move to Orre…"

"As long as they think I'm dead, my friends and family will be safe and I'll be free. Slightly restricted, but free…" Ash trailed off as he saw the looks he got from the three females.

"Good luck to you then, but do you think once you're out of here you could come with me to the Indigo League Head Quarters?"

"Why?"

"There is possible information that could be useful to us that you know that isn't in the lodge back at Indigo."

Ash nodded, "Deal."

Lance nodded, "Alright, I'll take my leave then. Get well soon Ash." With that the Champion turned and left the room.

"So what happened to Domino, did I get her?" Ash asked curiously.

There was silence before an answer, "We don't know, her and her Houndoom were missing from the field, they were gone..." Alyssa answered.

"Dammit..." Ash ran a hand through his hair in annoyance and laid back down closing his eyes so he could rest. Getting shot hurt like a hell, and he was tired after the last few days.

"Honey what did you mean when you said you're going back to Orre?" Delia asked nervously.

"I can't stay at home, I have to go somewhere where Team Rocket wouldn't suspect anything, I'll stay in Orre for a year or two then move into a house in Pallet… I can't compete in Leagues anymore, so I have to stick with Coliseums. So in Orre I'll make my money there and then come back to Kanto..." Ash trailed off and fell silent as his breathing became slower.

"Ash?" Misty asked worriedly.

No answer.

"Ash?" Alyssa shook him once.

No answer, Delia looked at the heartbeat monitor and gasped. The numbers were depleting and the bar was getting smaller and smaller, "NURSE!" She shouted hoarsely, she ran out the door and screamed for help.

"HELP!"

Two nurses ran to the frantic Delia and looked into the room. They saw the now even paler Ash and the heartbeat monitor. One nurse ran to his side and took his wrist and checked his pulse.

"His pulse is growing weaker; we need you to step out now!" She commanded as she took Pikachu off the bed and handed him quickly to Misty. The trio of females watched horrified as they saw the nurses bring out a defibrillator

"Out of the room now!" The three girls hesitantly left the room shaking, the door was shut behind them and they stood terrified at what just happened.

"What… What happened?" Misty whispered.

Neither Delia nor Alyssa answered; both were in shock of the event that just occurred. After ten minutes of standing outside the door, the trio hesitantly returned to the lobby and waited nervously.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was another fifteen minutes before anyone came to see them.

The nurse who checked Ashs pulse came through the doors of the lobby and over to the three females and Pikachu.

"Mrs. Ketchum?" The nurse spoke quietly.

Delia looked up at the nurse, "Is he alright?" She asked hopefully.

The nurse didn't answer immediately, "Mrs. Ketchum I'm afraid that your son has passed away."

The world stopped. Those words, were never supposed to be spoken. Not again, not after… Not after he came back, not after everything they've been through.

"No he's not." Delia said shaking her head refusing to believe what she just heard.

"Mrs. Ketchum he-"

"HE"S NOT DEAD DON'T LIE TO ME!" She shrieked as tears streamed down her cheeks. "HE IS NOT DEAD!"

"WHERE IS HE?" She yelled as she grabbed her hair with both hands. She was shaking, not believing any of this for a second.

"You can come see him, but only for a short time…" The nurse trailed off sadly and motioned for the group to follow her.

Delia stormed after her in near hysterics, while Misty and Alyssa remained seated staring blankly ahead in shock. Alyssa shakily got to her feet, barely able to stand with Pikachu in her arms. "C-Come on M-Misty…" She whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Misty almost fell over as she stood up, this was too much for her to handle, he couldn't be gone. not again, not after everything that's happened.

The three slowly made their way back to Ashs room and felt their hearts wrench at the sight, Delia was sobbing, as she shook Ash by the shoulders calling for him to wake up, pleading for him to open his eyes and tell her he was alright, but he never did.

But he never did…

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[One Month Later]**

Hundreds of people stood at the Pallet Town Cemetery, the sun was out and light glistened through the branches of the trees. Two rows of Pokemon, and people dressed in suits and black dresses, stood together and watched as four men carried a wooden casket through the aisle.

Tears streamed down the faces of all those at the Ceremony. The casket carried by Brock, Gary, Professor Oak and Tracy slowly made its way down the aisle and stopped at the end of the line and positioned the casket over a rectangular hole that had a grave stone at the end of it.

The only sound at the cemetery was sniffling, crying, and the slight wind that ruffled the tree branches.

A lone figure stepped out of the lineup and slowly walked over to the casket. Tears ran down her pale cheeks and onto her black dress as she placed a red and white baseball cap onto the lid. She instantly burst into tears and returned to her place in the line and was brought into a tight hug by a large group who hugged the poor girl.

Everyone turned their gaze to the casket for the final time as the four men gently lowered the casket and hat into the ground.

With the casket laid gently into the hole, three Pokemon left the line and over to a dirt pile beside the hole. Brock, Gary, Tracey, and the Professor slowly made their way over to the lineup where they were taken into a hug as tears streamed down their cheeks.

A bell echoed through the cemetery, drawing everyone's attention to the hole, the casket was laid in. After the third ring, the three Pokemon, Gabite, Infernape, and Arcanine pushed the dirt neatly into the hole, and with one final glance at the grave they returned to their friends and closed their eyes.

All those that were assembled lowered their heads, and removed their hats as they closed their eyes in silence. They knew of the sacrifice the boy had made, but was it worth it? Some would say yes… Others no.

After ten minutes of silence, those furthest from the grave quietly turned and began to walk away towards the exit. Slowly others followed their example until there were only eleven that remained in a semi-circle around the grave.

These were his closest friends. No, they weren't his friends… They were his family, and he was theirs. One by one, they left the circle and placed a flower with white petals gently on top of the grave with a few final parting words.

With the final Lilac placed, the group began the heart wrenching walk to the gate of the cemetery. Pushing open the short gate, they all turned back and had one final look at where their friend was laid to rest.

After one last moment of silence, the group slowly departed. Only remembering the words that had been engraved on the gravestone.

_Ashton Jay Ketchum_

_(May 22, 1994 - October 16, 2012)_

_A Loving Son, Friend, and Hero To All_

_Sacrificing Himself For The Safety Of Others_

_He Brought Happiness and Friendship To All_

_His Legacy Lives On And Is To Never Be Forgotten_

_As He Is Truly The Pokemon Master_

_**END**_

* * *

><p><em><em>**Well... I don't know where to begin...**

**Shocked about the outcome? Still have some questions about what happened? **

**All I can really say is wait for the Epilogue and one question will be answered. And in all honesty around 3AM and being really tired can mess with how you write. I started to get emotional writing the ending as sad as that may sound. I was way to into it picturing everything that I wrote made it like a movie in my mind.**

**Okay enough of the chit chat, Ash dies, Lance gets some info, A Sequel in the works, and yeah not to much happened this chapter.**

**-The Battle was not very good, until it came down to Arcanine and Houndoom. In my opinion anyways.**

**-I used sandstorm because making Ash use Quilava and having it use smokescreen would have been Pokemon cliche. I mean Team Rocket used smokescreen whenever they needed a chance at a get away so...**

**And the main plot twist of the chapter? Why the hell did I kill Ash off? Well because there wont always be a happy ending, most story's I read end with a _happily ever after_ and that kind of annoys me, why should there always be a happy ending. But don't worry the epilogue will deal with how the sequel will begin sorta... I dunno what I'm saying, because I haven't started the sequel yet...  
><strong>

**-And what else... What was the stack of letters that Ash left in the previous chapter? Find out in the Sequel, that's where it will be answered. **

**But now my main question:  
><strong>

**I have the basic outline for the Sequel to '_A Rise From Ashes' _floating around in my head, but I thought of a new story I would like to write. It would be an Ash and either Misty, May, or Alyssa fic, set a couple hundred years before the events of the Anime and would follow Ash as an Aura Guardian. **

**I could write both at the same time, but it takes me about a week to make a new chapter...Oh shit I just realized I have a freaking Science Mid Term Tomorrow...Shit.**

**Sorry off topic, I literally write what I think so yeah...  
><strong>

**ANYWAYS! Please Please Please review this chapter, All feedback is more then welcome. I really want to know what you all think of how I ended it off. And there is 1 more chapter, possibly uploaded on Thursday if I finish it on time!**

**Thanks so much for reading and for the second last time this story...**

**_ThatOneDwarf Signing Off!_  
><strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**EPILOGUE  
><strong>

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[1 Hour, 22 minutes, 13 seconds after Shooting]**

A siren blared as rain pelted the windows of the speeding Ambulance. "How much further?" The paramedic called to the driver.

"One minute, doctors are preparing the ER for when he arrives!"

"Please be alright, please God be alright!" Misty whispered as she watched the paramedic administer a sedative into Ashs arm.

Misty, Alyssa, Delia, and Pikachu were riding in the back of the Ambulance as it sped towards the Indigo General Hospital. The four were in shock at the recent event at the League and felt as if everything happening was a dream.

"He-He's going to be alright… Don't think otherwise…" Alyssa whispered to herself as she clenched her hands together. Ash had been through worse, he's been shot before and made it through, and he could do it again.

The ambulance lurched, and the back doors were torn open, the paramedic hopped out of the Ambulance, and pulled the stretcher Ash was on towards the back. The driver came around back and together they both lifted the stretcher out of the ambulance and placed it onto the ground and began to rush Ash through the rain and to the twin glass doors of the hospital.

The three females and Pikachu hurried after the departing stretcher and into the hospital. Frantically they looked down both hallways and sprinted to the left as they saw the paramedics take Ash around a corner.

Running down the quiet hallway they turned the corner and saw Ash pass through a pair of swinging blue doors, that had a red sign that read 'Emergency Room' above them.

Delia ran to the door and was about to push through when a man stopped her, "Mam you must wait here, there is a surgery in progress," he stated calmly as he held the desperate mom away from seeing her son.

"Bu-bu-but I need to see my baby!" She cried, as she tried to push through him. Misty and Alyssa came up and gently took Delia by the arms.

"C-Come on Mrs. Ketchum, Ash will be fine in a couple minutes… Let's sit down…" Misty whispered as she and Alyssa led the distressed mother to find a seat.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Out of the way!" The doctor shouted as they wheeled Ash through the doors of the ER and over to the operating table.

"Hook him up to life support, and get those IV bags hooked in ASAP!" He ordered as he put on a face mask, and a pair of white plastic gloves.

The nurses and doctors in the room lifted the unconscious Ash off the stretcher and onto the operating table and hooked him up to life support.

"Knock him out and get that wound clamped and the bullet removed, if she did it right then the bullet shouldn't have fragmented." The doctor stated as he took a pair of tweezers and a white cloth. A nurse came up to Ash and put a clear mask over his mouth and nose, supplying his air and knocking him unconsciousness with anesthesia.

The doctor moved over to Ash and took a bottle of rubbing alcohol and drenched the cloth in it. Running the damp cloth over the wound, he removed the dried blood and took his tweezers and pushed them into the wound.

After a few seconds he felt resistance, "Get ready to sew him up, and prepare the Tetrodotoxin, low dosage, and then get his room ready."

The doctor squeezed the tweezers down on the bullet and yanked it out, sending a fresh wave of blood flowing from the wound. He was instantly replaced by a blond and a brunette nurse who began to sterilize and repair the damage caused by the low caliber round.

A few minutes later, the nurses were done and the doctor came to examine their work. He fingered the patch on Ashs stomach, "Good Phase Two is complete, prepare the room and move him in. Then initiate Phase 3 and prep the decoy,"

"Yes sir!" The nurses saluted and took off their gloves and left the operating room. Heading down the hallway, they took a left and entered a small square room with a bed and a heart rate monitor.

"Rig the monitor, I got the drug." The blond nurse stated as she reached underneath the bed and produced a bottle of clear liquid and two syringes.

"Alright, should just take a moment…" The brunette trailed off as she broke off the back of the heart rate monitor and severed two wires. Reaching into her pocket she removed a small black chip and a short green wire.

Rigging the chip into the motherboard of the monitor, she attached the green wire to the chip, and then to a severed blue wire.

"Monitors set," The brunette informed as she replaced the back of the monitor and looked to the blond.

The blond had a half filled syringe laying on the bed, as she was carefully sucked in a careful amount of the clear liquid so that it was a quarter inch from being full.

"Tetrodotoxin is ready, bring in the boy." The blond said into her wrist watch.

After a moment of silence, a voice came through her watch, "Boy's on his way, and the decoy has been prepared. Administer the low dosage and then we wait."

"Yes sir."

A minute later a nurse wheeled Ash into the room and roughly moved him onto the bed, and left the room. The blond took the half full syringe and took Ashs wrist and stuck the needle into the largest vain she could see. Slowly she injected the drug into his system and looked to the brunette.

"Alright let's get out of here and leave the rest up to the others," The blond nodded and the two left Ash and returned to the ER.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**[3 Hours Later]**

"HELP!"

"He's incapacitated, move in and check his vitals." The doctor whispered to the two nurses beside him. The nurses ran around the corner and up to a panicking Delia.

They quickly entered the room and past the two frightened girls and checked the boys pulse, _'Perfect, slowing as we speak…'_

"His pulse is growing weaker; we need you to step out now!" The brunette nurse ordered, quickly handing Pikachu over to the red head.

Seeing that they hadn't left the room she inwardly cursed them, "Out of the room now!" She ordered as she reached for a defibrillator. The three females quickly left the room, and she quickly shut the door behind them.

The brunette reached into their pocket and took out a walkie talkie, "The boy is ready to be moved, get the decoy and we can get this over with."

It was two minutes later before someone answered, "The girls are still outside the room, we need them to move so we can get in there."

The nurse scowled, "Wait them out, if we don't come out for a few minutes they'll go find somewhere to wait."

"Roger."

Five minutes later the door to the room opened and in walked the doctor who was pushing a gurney with a full body bag on top.

"Get the decoy underneath the bed and conceal it. We have five hours before we need to give him his next dosage or else he wakes up." The blond informed as she flipped the body bag off the bed and onto the ground, quickly sliding it far underneath the bed then covering it with a sheet.

"Get the girls, keep the visit short and let's get the package out of here," The doctor stated jerking his thumb at Ash.

Quickly the brunette nurse left the room, and headed for the lobby, where the three girls waited for the announcement.

Forty minutes after the three girls and Pikachu spent with Ash, the nurses forced them out of the room so they could transport _'The Body' _to storage to prevent decay.

Shutting the door behind them they moved Ash onto the gurney in the room and removed the body bag from underneath the bed. Lifting up the body bag, they placed it where Ash had previously been and the brunette nurse wheeled it out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Give it ten minutes, and then get him out of here." With that the doctor left the room and left the blond alone with Ash.

A couple minutes past and the nurse sighed, "Must've been ten minutes…" The nurse pushed the gurney out the door and headed for the nearest elevator. Pushing the open button, she was relieved to see that the elevator was empty.

Pushing the unconscious Ash into the elevator, she pushed the button that read, '_Parking_.' A ding later the nurse wheeled Ash out of the elevator and through the concrete underground parking lot and over to an ambulance. Going around back, she knocked twice on the back door and a second later it was opened by the doctor from before.

The doctor hopped out and lifted Ash off of the gurney and roughly shoved him into the ambulance, quickly followed by him, and the nurse.

"Let's roll out, and get the boss on the line." The doctor stated as he took off his blue shirt and revealed a black shirt with a red R on the front.

"Right away," The driver said as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking space.

The driver hit a switch on the dashboard and waited until a voice came through the radio, "Is the package secure?" A fuzzy voice spoke.

"Package secure, decoy is in place. ETA twenty minutes for transport," The driver said as he took a left and headed down onto the highway.

"Excellent, switching you over to the Boss."

"Roger."

A minute passed in silence except for the occasional honk from the outside. The radio went fuzzy before a voice came through, "The boy is alive?"

"Yes sir, unconscious and there was no muscle damage where the bullet entered." The Rocket doctor called from the back.

There was a pause, "Good, get to the extraction zone and you'll be taken to headquarters. We need him unconscious for when we start his augmentations." Giovanni's voice came in gruffly.

"Yes sir, ETA to extraction 10 minutes."

"Excellent, don't keep me waiting." The radio shut off leaving the Rockets in silence.

"You heard the boss, so get this piece of junk moving!" The blond Grunt growled.

"Yes mam!" The driver shifted into 2nd and accelerated out of the indigo Plateau and into the distance. A couple of minutes passed and they drove off the road and onto a dirt path that was in thick shrubbery and dense foliage.

The ambulance came to an abrupt stop and the back doors opened revealing a large black helicopter, and a squad of Grunts in a clearing. The Rockets in the ambulance hopped out and walked over to the helicopter, as the Grunts removed Ash from the back and carried him over to the chopper and brought him onboard.

The doctor and the blond went around to the back of the chopper and up the back hatch. The blond sat down on one of the empty seats while the doctor went to the cockpit to talk to the pilot.

The doctor pushed open a door and came face to face with a man who wore a Rocket uniform and a flight helmet.

"The boy is on board, we're ready for transport." The doctor stated as he sat down in the co-pilot seat.

The pilot nodded, "Very good," The pilot flicked up two switches that were on the dash board and the back hatch begun to close. After the pressure was sealed off, he slowly pushed a lever forward and the propellers came to life.

The helicopter kicked up a whirlwind of dust as it slowly lifted off the ground and into the air. 100ft off the ground, the chopper pitched forward and began to fly off into the horizon, and to the Team Rocket Head Quarters.

The pilot flicked a switch and pressed a green button. A few seconds later a voice came through his helmet, "I take it you're on your way?" Giovanni asked patiently.

"Yes sir, ETA one hour seventeen minutes."

There was a pause, "Very good, I'll make sure to reward you and the others handsomely for your mission." Giovanni informed coolly, before cutting off transmission.

The pilot grinned, "Thank you sir…" He trailed off before shouting over the PA system, "Looks like we got ourselves some pretty penny comin in boys!"

There was a chorus of cheers and howling coming from behind the cockpit as the Grunts got the message. The pilot turned to the doctor, "So what's the boss want with the kid anyway? I heard something about him bein a run away, and sabotaging our warehouses?"

The doctor shrugged, "Beats the hell out of me. All I know is the kid is having some… Sort of Experimental work done on him. Then their sending him off for training. Don't know why Giovanni bothers tho, he's got plenty of elites that are more than suitable for dangerous missions."

"I heard that they were going to lock him up. And that was it… Keep him locked up until he goes insane, and starts to forget. But what you heard sounds a lot more likely." The pilot stated as he increased elevation and rose another fifty feet.

The doctor turned to the pilot, "All I know is, whatever they do to the kid it ain't gonna be pretty. Gonna be some tough shit for him that's for sure."

The pilot nodded in agreement. They sat in silence for a few minutes until a grin broke out on his face, "Almost forgot!" He reached underneath the dashboard and pulled out to bottles of beer, "Celebratory drinks for a successful mission!" He chuckled as he passed one over to the doc.

The doctor used the dashboard to pop the cap off the bottle and took a swift drink, before letting out a content sigh, "Not often we get a well-payin mission, but when we do, and we do it right? There's nothin better than a cold one…" He trailed off as he took another swig.

The pilot chuckled and took a draft of his, "Damn straight, gotta enjoy the little things," He held his beer out to the doc, "Here's to the little things… And a full paycheck!"

The doc smirked and clinked his bottle to the pilots, "To the little things, and a pretty damn full paycheck!" The pilot laughed in agreement, and the two to another draft of their drinks before the doc spoke.

"How bout we enjoy what's left of the ride by you turnin on the radio?" He proposed.

"Sounds good, but none of that DJ Mary crap, put on some decent music!" The doc laughed and began tuning the radio, until reception was made. Turning up the volume, he switched on the PA so the Grunts in the back could here.

"Yeah that's what I'm talking bout!" The pilot exclaimed as a rock song began.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The black helicopter flew like a wraith silently over a dense green forest and over to a 30 story building in the distance. The chopper flew over to the building over on top of the roof where a landing pad waited for them.

The chopper hovered above the landing pad, before slowly descending and touching down on the pad. The back hatch opened, and the Rockets disembarked the chopper with the doctor coming out with a limp Ash over his shoulder.

The Grunts stood at attention as a man in an orange suit walked over to the doctor, "You're squad will be rested and paid fully once the boy is secured." Giovanni stated as he looked at the limp Ash.

"Yes sir," The doctor nodded, unable to snap a salute due to the figure on his shoulder.

Giovanni began to walk towards the roofs elevator, before looking back and saying,

"Come with me doctor, we have work to do."

**END**

* * *

><p><strong>In my mind I played the Pirates of the Caribbean song right after the last line. It cut to black then the tune started up… Anyways!<strong>

**Now that is how it really ends. I'm happy and unhappy with how this final chapter went. I'm happy with how it ended; I gave subtle hints to what COULD happen in the sequel, there are still unanswered questions, such as:**

**What about Ashs letters?**

**What was the decoy?**

**Why did you kill Ash off? That was a major low blow!-(That wasn't a question, but it was the main response I got from last chapter.)**

**Okay but now, Ash is indeed alive. I know that most of you thought last chapter was indeed a low blow, but like some of you pointed out, how could I have a sequel without the main character?**

**Well I thought well ahead and kept him alive. How? : **_**Tetrodotoxin**_** is a drug that comes from puffer fish that slows your heart beat to pretty much undetectable, paralyzes the body, and turns you basically into a living zombie. People will think your dead. Google it.**

**So I'm not a doctor, so I kind of made up my own rules for how long the drug takes to go into effect. So I made it a couple hours, that's why Ash got KO'd last chapter and they all thought he was dead.**

**Now this is staying an **_**Ash and Misty**_** story! I have a way to deal with this in the second story, but I am not saying anything about that.**

**As for next story however… I've got a lot mapped out in my head, but don't expect it anytime soon! I have about how the first… 3 chapters are going to start, but after that I've only got the ending in my mind. So basically I need to think of… Well I need to think of the plot!**

**But during the time I plan out the sequel, I'm going to start writing a new story. The thing I talked about last chapter, and maybe a one-shot that takes place during this story. Probably about how Ash captured Growlithe and met Toby, and John from Orre.**

**And anyways. I want to thank you all so much. It's been one hell of a ride, and honestly I o-owh-owe, you guys so much. You all kept me writing this story, you have all been fantastic reviewers and readers and honestly I wouldn't have made it this far without you all. So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, for all your support and feedback during the last few months, it really means so much to me!**

**Please Review this one last chapter with any comments, questions, feedback or anything! Thanks again, and for the last time this story…**

_**ThatOneDwarf…Signing off!**_


End file.
